Circuit and System of Using Finfet for building Programmable Resistive Devices

ABSTRACT

Junction diodes or MOS devices fabricated in standard FinFET technologies can be used as program selectors or One-Time Programmable (OTP) element in a programmable resistive device, such as interconnect fuse, contact/via fuse, anti-fuse, or emerging nonvolatile memory such as MRAM, PCRAM, CBRAM, or RRAM. The MOS or diode can be built on at least one fin structure or at least one active region that has at least one first active region and a second active region. The first and the second active regions can be isolated by a dummy MOS gate or silicide block layer (SBL) to construct a diode.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/761,097, filed on Feb. 6, 2013 and entitled “CIRCUIT AND SYSTEM FORUSING FINFET FOR BUILDING PROGRAMMABLE RESISTIVE DEVICES,” which ishereby incorporated herein by reference, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/026,678,filed on Feb. 14, 2011 and entitled “MEMORY DEVICES USING A PLURALITY OFDIODES AS PROGRAM SELECTORS WITH AT LEAST ONE BEING A POLYSILICONDIODE,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The prior application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/761,097, alsoclaims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/595,165, filed on Feb. 6, 2012 and entitled “Novel One-TimeProgrammable Device In Standard FinFET Technologies,” which is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A programmable resistive device is generally referred to a device'sresistance states that may change after means of programming. Resistancestates can also be determined by resistance values. For example, aresistive device can be a One-Time Programmable (OTP) device, such aselectrical fuse, and the programming means can apply a high voltage toinduce a high current to flow through the OTP element. When a highcurrent flows through an OTP element by turning on a program selector,the OTP element can be programmed, or burned into a high or lowresistance state (depending on either fuse or anti-fuse). A programmableresistive device can be programmed reversibly and repetitively based onthe magnitude, duration, or voltage/current limit of the current flowingthrough the programmable resistive element, such as the films andelectrodes in PCRAM (Phase-Change RAM), RRAM (Resistive RAM), CBRAM(Conductive Bridge RAM). A programmable resistive device can also beprogrammed based on the direction of the current flowing through theprogrammable resistive element, such as MTJ (Magnetic Tunnel Junction)in MRAM, or resistive films in some kinds of RRAM or CBRAM.

An electrical fuse is a common OTP which is a programmable resistivedevice that can be constructed from a segment of interconnect, such aspolysilicon, silicided polysilicon, silicide, metal, metal alloy, orsome combination thereof. The metal can be aluminum, copper, or othertransition metals. One of the most commonly used electrical fuses is aCMOS gate, fabricated in silicided polysilicon, used as interconnect.The electrical fuse can also be one or more contacts or vias instead ofa segment of interconnect. A high current may blow the contact(s) orvia(s) into a very high resistance state. The electrical fuse can be ananti-fuse, where a high voltage makes the resistance lower, instead ofhigher. The anti-fuse can consist of one or more contacts or vias withan insulator in between. The anti-fuse can also be a CMOS gate coupledto a CMOS body with a thin gate oxide as insulator.

A conventional programmable resistive memory cell 10 using MOS asprogram selector is shown in FIG. 1( a). The cell 10 consists of aresistive element 11 and an NMOS program selector 12. The resistiveelement 11 is coupled to the drain of the NMOS 12 at one end, and to ahigh voltage V+ at the other end. The gate of the NMOS 12 is coupled toa select signal (Sel), and the source is coupled to a low voltage V−.When a high voltage is applied to V+ and a low voltage to V−, theresistive cell 10 can be programmed by raising the select signal (Sel)to turn on the NMOS 12. One of the most common resistive elements is asilicided polysilicon, the same material and fabricated at the same timeas a MOS gate. The size of the NMOS 12, as program selector, needs to belarge enough to deliver the required program current for a fewmicroseconds. The program current for a silicided polysilicon isnormally between a few milliamps for a fuse with width of 40 nm to about20 mA for a fuse with width about 0.6 um. As a result, the cell size ofan electrical fuse using silicided polysilicon tends to be very large.The resistive memory cell 10 can be organized as a two-dimensional arraywith all select signals Sel's and voltages V−'s in a row coupled aswordlines (WLs) and a ground line, respectively, and all voltages V+'sin a column coupled as bitlines (BLs).

Another programmable resistive device using diode as program selector isshown in FIG. 1( b). The programmable resistive device 15 has aprogrammable resistive element 16 and a diode 17 as program selector.The programmable resistive element 16 is coupled between an anode of thediode 17 and a high voltage V+. A cathode of the diode 17 is coupled toa low voltage V−. By applying a proper voltage between V+ and V− for aproper duration of time, the programmable resistive element 16 can beprogrammed into high or low resistance states, depending on magnitude,duration, current/voltage limit, current direction, or combinationsthereof. The programmable resistive cell 15 can be organized as a twodimensional array with all voltages V−'s in a row coupled as wordlinebars (WLBs), and all voltages V+'s in a column coupled as bitlines(BLs).

A FinFET device is a 3D type of MOS device, instead of a planar CMOS,suitable for CMOS generations beyond 20 nm. FIG. 2( a) shows aconventional planar CMOS with source, drain, and channel laid on thesilicon surface and a MOS gate built on top of the silicon substrate.FIG. 2( b) shows a 3D conceptual view of a MOS in a FinFET bulktechnology. A tall and thin silicon island can be built on a substrate.The two sides and top surface of the island are grown with gate oxideand then a MOS gate can be built across the thin island to divide thefin into source, drain, and body. The channel region can be extendedinto the body because the fin is so thin such that the body is almostdepleted. After the gate is built, the surface is oxidized to provideisolation between different fins. The current still flows in parallel tothe silicon surface, but the channel width is twice of the fin heightplus the fin thickness. FIG. 2( c) shows a 3D conceptual view of a MOSin a FinFET SOI technology. The FinFET SOI is very similar to the FinFETbulk except that the tall and thin fins in the FinFET SOI are isolatedfrom the silicon substrate. A FinFET can have multiple fins, just like aplanar MOS can have multiple fingers. The sources or drains of themultiple fins can be coupled together by constructing extendedsource/drain regions. The extended S/D regions can be built on fieldoxide after the fins and gates are fabricated, and therefore, isthermally isolated from the substrate. The extended source/drain canconnect multiple fins together or one fin each. The extended S/D can befabricated by depositing or growing polysilicon, polycrystallineSi/SiGe, lateral epitaxial silicion/SiGe, or Selective Epitaxial Growth(SEG), etc. The extended source/drain can be a diamond shape with facetsand rise above the fin height when doping with SiGe in certain crystaldirections, especially for source/drain of a PMOS. FIG. 2( d) showsanother 3D conceptual view of a multiple-fin FinFET. FIG. 2( e) shows aSEM photo of a multi-fin FinFETs with sources/drains coupled by extendedsources/drains.

FIG. 2( f) shows another 3D view of a FinFET with more structure detailsas an example. The FinFET is a tall and narrow structure of fin built ona substrate. Then, a layer of field oxide is deposited or grown on asubstrate. A MOS gate is fabricated across the fin to divide the fininto source and drain regions. The two ends of the source and drainregions are grown with epitaxial to provide more area for contacts.

FIGS. 2( fa) and 2(fb) show cross sections of three (3) differentplanes, corresponding to the FIG. 2( f), The MOS device is built like inthe conventional planar MOS with STI (Shallow Trench Isolation), gateoxide, gate, gate spacer, LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) and epitaxialsource/drain. As an example, the gate length can be 22 nm, fin width canbe 11 nm. Fin height can be 55 nm, STI thickness is 100 nm, shallow LDDjunction is 5 nm, and space between gate and epitaxial S/D is 30 nm,referring to Tsunaki Takahashi, et al, “Thermal-Aware Device Design ofNanoscale Bulk/SOI FinFETs: Suppression of Operation Temperature and ItsVariability,” IEEE IEDM, Dec., 2011, pp. 809-812.

FIG. 3( a 1) shows a top view of a 4-fin FinFET 20, looselycorresponding to the 3D views of FIGS. 2( b), 2(c), 2(d), and 2(e). TheFinFET 20 has 4 fins, 21-1 to 21-4, on a substrate. The fins are crossedby a gate 22 in a perpendicular direction. Extended source and drain, 27and 23, respectively, are built to connect the sources and drains ofeach fin together. Extended source/drain or active region 26 is used asa body tie for bulk FinFET. Two contact holes 29 per fin allow sourcesor drains of the FinFET being coupled to metal interconnect (not shown).In some embodiments, the contacts can be replaced by metal-0, i.e. anlocal interconnect that can provide self-align and low contactresistance. The FinFET 20 can be covered by an N+ implant layer 24 for aNMOS FinFET. The body tie 26 can be covered by a P+ implant 25. FIG. 3(a 2) shows an equivalent circuit 20′ of FIG. 3( a 1) that has 4transistors 21′-1 to 21′-4 corresponding to 4 FinFETs in FIG. 3( a 1).

As a reference FinFET device in a 45 nm technology, the parameters ofthe FinFET shown in FIG. 3( a 1) can be: fin width Wfin=10 nm, gatelength Lg=45 nm, fin-to-fin space S=200 nm, source/drain distanceLs=Ld=90 nm, contact size=20×20 nm, and fin height H=50 nm. Refer to A.Griffoni et al, “Next Generation Bulk FinFET Devices and Their Benefitsfor ESD Robustness,” IEEE EOS/ESD Sym., 2009, 09-59.

A FinFET is 3D structure that has many properties a planar MOS devicecannot have. Other than distinct electrical properties from the planarMOS, the tall and narrow silicon islands erected from a substrate havepoor thermal conductivity.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of programmable resistive device cells using MOS devices ordiodes in standard FinFET technologies as program selectors aredisclosed. The programmable resistive devices can be fabricated usingstandard FinFET processes to reduce cell size and cost.

Embodiments can using FinFET structures to provide programmableresistive devices and memories in FinFET technologies. The FinFETstructures can be 3D FinFET structures, which can serve to providethermal separation or isolation. The 3D FinFET structures can thermallyisolated extensive source/drain regions or the FinFET itself, as programselectors and/or OTP elements using standard FinFET processes forOne-Time Programmable devices.

In one embodiment, a programmable resistive device and memory can use adiode as program selector constructed from FinFET technologies, wherethe P and N terminals of the diode are P+ fins and N+ body ties of an Nwell, respectively. In another embodiment, a diode as program selectorcan be constructed from a single or plural of fins with P+ and N+implants in two ends of the fins. The P+ or N+ implant region can beisolated by dummy MOS gate or Silicide Block Layer (SBL). The same P+and N+ implants can be used to create sources or drains of PMOS and NMOSdevices, respectively. Advantageously, the same N well can be used tohouse PMOS in standard FinFET processes. By using diodes constructed instandard FinFET processes, a small cell size can be achieved, withoutincurring any special processing or masks. In another embodiment, a MOSconstructed from at least one FinFET can be used as program selector forprogrammable resistive device and memory. In FinFET technologies, FinFETitself can have a breakdown and can be used to construct an OTP elementin one embodiment. In another embodiment, extended source/drain regionsin a FinFET technology can be used to constructed program selectorand/or OTP element in an OTP memory cell. Thus, costs can be reducedsubstantially for variously applications, such as embedded applications.

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as amethod, system, device, or apparatus (including graphical user interfaceand computer readable medium). Several embodiments of the invention arediscussed below.

As a programmable resistive memory, one embodiment can, for example,include at least a plurality of programmable resistive cells. At leastone of the programmable resistive cells including: a resistive element;at least one fin structure coupled to the resistive element, the atleast one fin structure being a semiconductor structure and including atleast a first active region and a second active region, the first activeregion having a first type of dopant, and the second active regionhaving the first type of dopant or the second type of dopant; and a gateprovided over at least a portion of the at least one fin structure, thegate being provided between or adjacent both the first and second activeregions. At least a portion of the first and second active regions canreside in a common well or on an isolated substrate.

As a programmable resistive memory, one embodiment can, for example,include at least a plurality of programmable resistive cells. At leastone of the programmable resistive cells including: a resistive element;at least one fin structure coupled to the resistive element, the atleast one fin structure being a semiconductor structure and including anactive region, the active region being divided into at least a firstactive region and a second active region, the first active region havinga first type of dopant, and the second active region having the firsttype of dopant or the second type of dopant; and a gate provided over atleast a portion of the at least one fin structure, the gate facilitatesdividing the active region into the first and second active regions. Atleast a portion of the first and second active regions can reside in acommon well or on an isolated substrate.

As a programmable resistive memory, one embodiment can, for example,include a plurality of programmable resistive cells. At least one of theprogrammable resistive cells can include a resistive element coupled toa first supply voltage line, and at least one MOS or diode including atleast a first active region and a second active region on at least onefin structure or on at least one isolated active region. The firstactive region can have a first type of dopant and the second region canhave a first or second type of dopant. The first active region canprovide a first terminal of the MOS or diode, the second active regioncan provide a second terminal of the MOS or diode, and both the firstand second active regions can reside on a common well. The first andsecond active regions can be isolated by at least one gate for MOS or atleast one dummy gate/Silicide Block Layer (SBL) for a diode. The firstactive region can also be coupled to the resistive element, and thesecond active region can be coupled to a second supply voltage line. Thegate of the MOS can be coupled to a third supply voltage line. The firstand second active regions can be implanted from source or drain implantof CMOS devices. The well can be fabricated from a CMOS well. Theisolated active regions can be fabricated from extended source/drainregions or part of a fin in FinFET technologies. The resistive elementcan be configured to be programmable by applying voltages to the first,second, and/or third supply voltage lines to thereby change theresistance into a different logic state.

As an electronics system, one embodiment can, for example, include atleast a processor, and a programmable resistive memory operativelyconnected to the processor. The programmable resistive memory caninclude at least a plurality of programmable resistive cells forproviding data storage. Each of the programmable resistive cells caninclude at least a resistive element coupled to a first supply voltageline, and at least one MOS or diode including at least a first activeregion and a second active region on at least one fin structure or on atleast one isolated active region. The first active region can have afirst type of dopant and the second region can have a first or secondtype of dopant. The first active region can provide a first terminal ofthe MOS or diode, the second active region can provide a second terminalof the MOS or diode, and both the first and second active regions canreside in a common well. The first and second active regions can beisolated by at least one MOS gate for MOS or by at least one dummy MOSgate, Silicide Block Layer (SBL) for a diode. The first active regioncan be coupled to the resistive element and the second active region canbe coupled to a second supply voltage line. The MOS gate can be coupledto a third supply voltage line. The first and second active regions canbe implanted from source or drain implant of CMOS devices. The well canbe fabricated from CMOS wells. The isolated active regions can befabricated from extended source/drain regions or part of a fin in FinFETtechnologies. The programmable resistive element can be configured to beprogrammable by applying voltages to the first, second, and/or the thirdsupply voltage lines to thereby change the resistance into a differentlogic state.

As a method for providing a programmable resistive memory, oneembodiment can, for example, include at least providing a plurality ofprogrammable resistive cells, and programming a logic state into atleast one of the programmable resistive cells by applying voltages tothe first, second, and/or third voltage lines. The at least one of theprogrammable resistive cells can include at least (i) a resistiveelement coupled to a first supply voltage line, (ii) at least one MOS ordiode including at least a first active region and a second activeregion on at least one fin structure or on at least one isolated activeregion, and (iii) the first and second active regions can be isolated byat least one MOS gate for MOS or by at least one dummy MOS gate/SilicideBlock Layer (SBL) for diode. The first active region can be coupled tothe resistive element and the second active region can be coupled to asecond supply voltage line. The MOS gate can be coupled to a thirdsupply voltage line. The first active region can have a first type ofdopant and the second region can have a first or second type of dopant.The first active region can provide a first terminal of the MOS ordiode, the second active region can provide a second terminal of the MOSor diode, and both the first and second active regions can be implantedfrom source or drain implant of CMOS devices and can reside in a commonwell fabricated from CMOS wells. The isolated active regions can befabricated from extended source/drain regions or part of a fin in aFinFET technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be readily understood by the followingdetailed descriptions in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, andin which:

FIG. 1( a) shows a conventional programmable resistive memory cell usingMOS as program selector.

FIG. 1( b) shows another programmable resistive memory cell using diodeas program selector.

FIGS. 2( a), 2(b), and 2(c) show 3D conceptual views of planar CMOS,FinFET bulk, and FinFET SOI devices, respectively.

FIG. 2( d) shows a 3D conceptual view of a three-fin FinFET devicewithout extended source/drain regions.

FIG. 2( e) shows a SEM photo of a multi-fin FinFET with extendedsource/drain regions built between fins.

FIG. 2( f) shows anther 3D view of a FinFET showing more structuredetails.

FIGS. 2( fa) and 2(fb) show cross sections of 3 different planes of aFinFET, corresponding to FIG. 2( f), for bulk and SOI FinFETtechnologies, respectively.

FIG. 3( a 1) shows a top view of a multi-fin FinFET, looselycorresponding to FIGS. 2( b), 2(c), 2(d), and 2(e).

FIG. 3( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to the FinFET inFIG. 3( a 1).

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a programmable resistive cell in FinFETtechnologies according to the present invention.

FIG. 5( a 1) shows a 3D view of diodes constructed from P type fins withan N well tap in a FinFET technology.

FIG. 5( a 2) shows a top view of diodes corresponding to FIG. 5( a 1).

FIG. 5( b) shows a 3D view of diodes constructed from FinFETs with adummy gate across and N+/P+ implants on two ends of the fins and thedummy gate.

FIG. 5( c) shows a 3D view of diodes constructed from FinFETs with adummy gate across, N+/P+ implants on two ends of the fins and the dummygate, and extended source/drains between fins.

FIG. 5( d) shows a 3D view of diodes constructed from FinFETs with asilicide block layer isolation across and N+/P+ implants on two ends ofthe fins and the silicide block layer.

FIG. 6( a) shows a 3D view of OTP cells using MOS devices in FinFETs asprogram selectors and extended source/drain regions as OTP elements,according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6( b 1) shows a 3D view of OTP cells using diodes in FinFETs asprogram selectors and extended source/drain regions as OTP elements,according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6( b 2) shows a top view of OTP cells corresponding to FIG. 6( b1).

FIG. 6( b 3) shows a 3D view of an OTP cell using a diode in FinFET as aprogram selector, part of the fin as an OTP element, and SiGe in raisedS/D for further interconnect, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6( c 1) shows a top view of OTP cells using diodes in FinFETs asprogram selectors and extended source/drain regions as OTP elements,according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6( c 2) shows an equivalent circuit of OTP cells corresponding toFIG. 6( c 1).

FIG. 6( d 1) shows a top view of OTP cells using MOS devices in FinFETsas program selectors and extended source/drain regions as OTP elements,according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6( d 2) shows an equivalent circuit of OTP cells corresponding toFIG. 6( d 1).

FIG. 7( a 1) shows a top view of OTP cells using diodes in extendedsource/drain regions as program selectors and fin structures as OTPelements, according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit of OTP cells corresponding toFIG. 7( a 1).

FIG. 8( a 1) shows a top view of OTP cells using diodes in extendedsource/drain regions as program selectors and fin structures constructedas diodes for breakdown as OTP elements, according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 8( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit of OTP cells corresponding toFIG. 8( a 1).

FIG. 9( a 1) shows a top view of OTP cells using MOS devices in FinFETsas program selectors and interconnects as OTP elements, according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 9( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit of OTP cells corresponding toFIG. 9( a 1).

FIG. 9( b 1) shows a top view of OTP cells using diodes in FinFETs asprogram selectors and interconnects as OTP elements, according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 9( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit of OTP cells corresponding toFIG. 9( b 1).

FIG. 9( c 1) shows an electrical fuse element according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 9( c 2) shows an electrical fuse element with a small body andslightly tapered structures according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9( c 3) shows an electrical fuse element with a thermallyconductive but electrically insulated heat sink in the anode accordingto another embodiment.

FIG. 9( c 4) shows an electrical fuse element with a thinner oxide nearthe anode as a heat sink according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9( c 5) shows an electrical fuse element with at least one notch inthe body according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9( c 6) shows an electrical fuse element with part NMOS metal gateand part PMOS metal gate according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9( c 7) shows an electrical fuse element with a segment ofpolysilicon between two metal gates according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9( c 8) shows a diode constructed from a polysilicon between twometal gates according to another embodiment.

FIG. 10( a) shows a top view of 2×4 OTP cell array using MOS devices inFinFETs as program selectors, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10( b) shows a top view of 2×4 OTP cell array using diodes inFinFETs as program selectors, according to another embodiment.

FIG. 11( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 reversible programmable resistivecells using diodes as program selectors and phase-change material (PCM)built inside contact holes, according to the present invention.

FIG. 11( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to FIG. 11( a1).

FIG. 11( b 1) shows a top view of 1×4 reversible programmable resistivecells using MOS devices as program selectors and PCM built insidecontact holes, according to the present invention.

FIG. 11( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to FIG. 11( b1).

FIG. 12( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 reversible programmable resistivecells using diodes as program selectors and planar PCM, according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 12( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to FIG. 12( a1).

FIG. 12( b 1) shows a top view of 1×4 reversible programmable resistivecells using diodes as program selectors and planar PCM, according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 12( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to FIG. 12( b 1)

FIG. 13( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 MRAM cells using MOS FinFETs asprogram selectors and Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJs) as resistiveelements, according to the present invention.

FIG. 13( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to FIG. 13( a1).

FIG. 13( b1) shows a top view of 1×2 MRAM cells using diodes as 0 and 1program selectors and Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJs) as resistiveelements, according to another embodiment.

FIG. 13( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to FIG. 13( b1).

FIG. 14( a 1) shows a top view of contact-fuse cells using MOS devicesin FinFETs as program selectors and contacts as OTP elements, accordingto another embodiment.

FIG. 14( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit of contact-fuse cellscorresponding to FIG. 14( a 1).

FIG. 14( b 1) shows a top view of contact-fuse cells using diodes inFinFETs as program selectors and contacts as OTP elements, according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 14( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit of contact-fuse cellscorresponding to FIG. 14( b 1).

FIG. 15 shows a portion of a programmable resistive memory constructedby an array of n-row by (m+1)-column single-diode-as-program-selectorcells and n wordline drivers in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 16( a) shows a portion of a programmable resistive memoryconstructed by an array of 3-terminal MRAM cells according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 16( b) shows another embodiment of constructing a portion of MRAMmemory with 2-terminal MRAM cells.

FIGS. 17( a), 17(b), and 17(c) show three other embodiments ofconstructing reference cells for differential sensing.

FIG. 18( a) shows a schematic of a wordline driver circuit according toone embodiment.

FIG. 18( b) shows a schematic of a bitline circuit according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 18( c) shows a portion of memory with an internal power supply VDDPcoupled to an external supply VDDPP and a core logic supply VDD throughpower selectors.

FIG. 19( a) shows one embodiment of a schematic of a pre-amplifieraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 19( b) shows one embodiment of a schematic of an amplifieraccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 19( c) shows a timing diagram of the pre-amplifier and theamplifier in FIGS. 19( a) and 19(b), respectively.

FIG. 20( a) shows another embodiment of a pre-amplifier, similar to thepre-amplifier in FIG. 18( a).

FIG. 20( b) shows level shifters according to one embodiment.

FIG. 20( c) shows another embodiment of an amplifier with current-mirrorloads.

FIG. 20( d) shows another embodiment of a pre-amplifier with two levelsof PMOS pullup stacked so that all core devices can be used.

FIG. 20( e) shows another embodiment of a pre-amplifier with anactivation device for enabling.

FIG. 21( a) depicts a method of programming a programmable resistivememory in a flow chart according to one embodiment.

FIG. 21( b) depicts a method of reading a programmable resistive memoryin a flow chart according to one embodiment.

FIG. 22 shows a processor system according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments disclosed herein use a junction diode or MOS in standardFinFET technologies as program selector for a programmable resistivedevice. The diode can comprise P+ and N+ active regions on an N well oron an isolated active region. Since the P+ and N+ active regions and Nwell and/or isolated active region are readily available in standardFinFET processes, these devices can be formed in an efficient and costeffective manner. For standard FinFET technologies, extendedsource/drain regions or part of fins are isolated active regions thatcan be used to construct diodes as program selectors or even One-TimeProgrammable (OTP) element. There are no additional masks or processsteps to save costs. The programmable resistive device can also beincluded within an electronic system.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a memory cell 30 using a FinFET diode orMOS in FinFET structures or isolated active region as program selectorcoupled to a programmable resistive element, according to the presentinvention. In particular, the memory cell 30 includes a resistiveelement 30 a and at least a diode or MOS 30 b built in FinFETstructures. The resistive element 30 a can be coupled between an anodeof the diode or a drain of an MOS in at least one fin structure 30 b anda high voltage V+. A cathode of the diode or the source of the FinFET 30b can be coupled to a low voltage V−. The gate of the FinFET MOS 30 bcan be a select signal (Sel). By applying proper voltages to V+, V−,and/or the gate of a FinFET MOS for a proper duration of time, theresistive element 30 a can be programmed into high or low resistancestates, depending on magnitude, duration, current/voltage limit, and/ordirection of the current, thereby programming the memory cell 30 tostore a data value (e.g., bit of data). The coupling of the resistiveelement 30 a and the diode or MOS 30 b between the supply voltages V+and V− can be interchanged in another embodiment.

The resistive element 30 a in FIG. 4 can be a One-Time Programmable(OTP) element, such as fuse, for example, interconnect fuse, contactfuse, or via fuse, or can be an anti-fuse based on dielectric,gate-oxide, junction, or source/drain breakdown, or source/drainpunch-through. The interconnect can be polysilicon, silicidedpolysilicon, silicide, polymetal, metal, metal alloy, localinterconnect, thermally isolated active region, CMOS gate, or theircombination thereof. CMOS gate can be polysilicon gate or non-aluminummetal gate. Particularly, the FinFET structure itself or the extendedsource/drain region can be used as an OTP element for programming. Evena diode can be constructed from an extended source/drain region as aprogram selector. The resistive element can be a reversible programmableresistive element, such as in the memory cells of PCRAM, RRAM, or CBRAM,that can be programmed reversibly and repetitively. The resistiveelement can also be a Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) or other types ofmemory element that can be programmed based on the directions of thecurrent.

The FinFET diode or MOS 30 b in FIG. 4 can serve as a program selectorof the memory cell 30. The FinFET diode can be constructed from at leastone P+ fin with at least one N well tap in FinFET technologies. TheFinFET diode can also be constructed from at least one fin structurewith a dummy gate across to divide the fin structure into two regionsthat are further covered by N+ and P+ implants, respectively, to serveas N and P portions of the diode. In another embodiment, a FinFET diodecan also be constructed from at least one fin structure with a SilicideBlock Layer (SBL) across to divide the fin structure into two regions,and both regions are further covered by N+ and P+ implants to serve as Nand P portions of the diode. The N+ and P+ implants can be separatedwith a gap. The SBL covers the gap and overlaps into both regions. Thedoping concentration in the gap region can be slightly N, P, orunintended doped. The width or the doping level in the gap can be usedto adjust the breakdown voltage or leakage of the diode. The FinFETstructure can be inside an N well, an N well in standard CMOS. The N+and P+ implants can be the source or drain implant in a standard CMOS.If there is no silicide available, the SBL can be omitted in anotherembodiment. In another embodiment, at least one fin in FinFET MOS can beused as program selector. In yet another embodiment, at least one fin inFinFET MOS can be constructed as diode-connect (i.e. gate coupled todrain) as program selector. In yet another embodiment, an extendedsource/drain, part of a fin, or a thermally isolated active region canbe implanted with part N and part P to constitute a diode as programselector. Alternatively, the diode can be constructed from at least oneN+ fin with at least one P well tap in a triple-well process or using anN type substrate.

FIG. 5( a 1) shows a 3D view of diodes 30 constructed from finstructures 31-1,2,3 on a substrate with field oxide 35 in a FinFETtechnology, according to one embodiment. The diodes 30 can, for example,be used as the program selector 30 b illustrated in FIG. 4. Diodes 30are constructed from fins 31-1,2,3 inside an N well 38. One end of thefins 31-1,2,3 are coupled to extended source/drain regions, 36-1,2,3,with contacts 34-1,2,3 on top to couple to other interconnects (notshown), respectively. At least one N well tap has an active area 39, N+implant 32, and contacts 37 to serve as the N terminal of the diodes.The active area 39 can rise from the substrate 35 like fins, can beextended source/drain region, part of a fin, or can be on the substrate35 without oxide built on top. P+ implant (not shown in FIG. 5( a 1)) isa complement of the N+ implant 32 that covers the fins 31-1,2,3 andextended source/drains 36-1,2,3, which serve as the P terminals of thediodes 30. A resistive element (not shown) can be coupled to each of theextended source/drain regions 36-1,2,3 and to a first supply voltage.The N terminal of the diodes 30 can be coupled to a second supplyvoltage. To program this resistive device, high and low voltages can beapplied to the first and second supply voltage to conduct a currentflowing through. Thus the resistive element can be programmed into highor low resistance state, depending on the magnitude, duration,current/voltage limit, and/or current direction. FIG. 5( a 2) shows atop view of the diodes 30′, corresponding to the diodes 30 in FIG. 5( a1).

FIG. 5( b) shows a 3D view of diodes 40 constructed from fin structures40-1,2,3 using dummy gate isolation on a substrate with field oxide 45in a FinFET technology, according to another embodiment. The diodes 40can, for example, be used as the program selector 30 b illustrated inFIG. 4. Diodes 40 are constructed from fins 41-1,2,3 with a dummy MOSgate 49 across to divide the fins into 43-1,2,3 and 47-1,2,3 regions,respectively, which are further covered by P+ 48 and N+ 44 implants,respectively. The N+ 47-1,2,3, and P+ 43-1,2,3 regions of the fins41-1,2,3 can be built with extended source/drain regions and contacts(not shown) to serve as P and N terminal of the diodes, respectively. Aresistive element (not shown) can be coupled to the P terminal of thediodes 40 and to a first supply voltage. The N terminal of the diodes 40can be coupled to a second supply voltage. To program the programmableresistive device, high and low voltages can be applied to the first andsecond supply voltage to conduct a current flowing through the resistiveelement. Thus, the resistive element can be programmed into high or lowresistance state, depending on the magnitude, duration, current/voltagelimit, and/or current direction.

FIG. 5( c) shows a 3D view of diodes 40′ constructed from fin structures40′-1,2,3 using dummy gate isolation on a substrate with field oxide 45′in a FinFET technology, according to another embodiment. The diodes 40′can, for example, be used as the program selector 30 b illustrated inFIG. 4. Diodes 40′ are constructed from fins 41′-1,2,3 with a dummy MOSgate 49′ across to divide the fins into 43′-1,2,3 and 47′-1,2,3,respectively, which are further covered by P+ 48′ and N+ 44′ implants,respectively. The N+ 47′-1,2,3, and P+ 43′-1,2,3 regions of the fins41′-1,2,3 can be built with extended source/drain regions 40′-1 and40′-2 to serve as N and P terminal of the diodes, respectively. Theextended source/drain 40′-1 and 40′-2 can be fabricated frompolysilicon, polycrystalline SiGe, lateral epitaxial growthsilicon/SiGe, or Selective Epixatial Growth (SEG) of Silicon/SiGe, etc.A resistive element (not shown) can be coupled to the P terminal of thediodes 40′ and to a first supply voltage. The N terminal of the diodes40′ can be coupled to a second supply voltage. To program theprogrammable resistive device, high and low voltages can be applied tothe first and second supply voltage to conduct a current flowing throughthe resistive element. Thus, the resistive element can be programmedinto high or low resistance state, depending on the magnitude, duration,current/voltage limit, and/or current direction. The extendedsource/drain regions 40′-1 and 40′-2 can be built between fins or can beextended from the ends of the fin structures. The extended source/drain40′-1,2 can be filled up to the fin height in another embodiment.

FIG. 5( d) shows a 3D view of diodes 40″ constructed from fin structures41″-1,2,3 using silicide block layer (SBL) 49″ isolation on a substratewith field oxide 45″ in a FinFET technology, according to anotherembodiment. The diodes 40″ can, for example, be used as the programselector 30 b illustrated in FIG. 4. Diodes 40″ are constructed fromfins 41″-1,2,3 with a SBL 49″ across to divide the fins into 43″-1,2,3and 47″-1,2,3 regions, respectively, which are further covered by P+ 48″and N+ 44″ implants, respectively. The N+ 47″-1,2,3, and P+ 43″-1,2,3regions of the fins 41″-1,2,3 can be built with extended source/drainregions and contacts (not shown) to serve as N and P terminal of thediodes, respectively. The P+ 48″ and the N+ 44″ can be separated with aspace. The SBL 49″ covers the space and overlaps into both regions. Thedopants in the space region can be slightly N, P, or unintended doped.The width of the space and doping level in the space region can be usedto adjust the diode's breakdown voltage or leakage current. A resistiveelement (not shown) can be coupled to the P terminal of the diodes andto a first supply voltage. The N terminal of the diodes 40″ can becoupled to a second supply voltage. To program this programmableresistive device, high and low voltages can be applied to the first andsecond supply voltage to conduct a current flowing through the resistiveelement. Thus, the resistive element can be programmed into high or lowresistance state, depending on the magnitude, duration, current/voltagelimit, and/or current direction. If there is no silicide on top of thefins, the SBL layer can be omitted in another embodiment.

FIG. 6( a) shows a 3D view of OTP cells 50 constructed from finstructures 51-1,2,3 and extended source/drain regions 50-1,2,3 as MOSprogram selector and OTP elements, respectively, on a substrate withfield oxide 55 in a FinFET technology, according to another embodiment.The cells 50 can, for example, be used as the programmable resistivecell 30 illustrated in FIG. 4. MOS devices are constructed from fins51-1,2,3 with a gate 59 across to divide the fins into drains 53-1,2,3and sources 57-1,2,3, respectively. The drains 53-1,2,3 of the FinFETs51-1,2,3 can be built with extended source/drain regions 50-1,2,3, andcontacts 56-1,2,3 on top to couple to first supply voltage lines,respectively. The extended source/drain regions 50-1,2,3 serve as OTPelements and can be covered by part P+ implant 58 and part N+ implant(the complement of P+ 58). The OTP elements can be built as parts of thefin structure in another embodiment. The sources 57-1,2,3 can be builtwith extended source/drain regions and contacts (not shown) to furthercoupled to a second supply voltage. To program this programmableresistive device, high and low voltages can be applied to the first andsecond supply voltages to conduct a current flowing through the OTPelements 50-1,2,3. Thus, the OTP elements 50-1,2,3 can be programmedinto high or low resistance state, depending on the magnitude andduration of the current. By integrated the OTP elements 50-1,2,3 andprogram selectors 51-1,2,3 into the same fin structures, the areas canbe saved and thus the costs can be lower. The OTP elements 50-1,2,3 canbe all N, P, part N and part P in other embodiments. Particularly, theOTP elements 50-1,2,3 can have N/P or P/N junction in the currentdirection for breakdown in another embodiment. The FinFETs can be NMOSor PMOS and/or can be a single or a plurality of fins in anotherembodiment. The FinFET can be diode-connect by tying the gate to drainas program selector in yet another embodiment. The MOS gate 59 can bepolysilicon or metal gate. The bodies of the OTP element 50-1,2,3,excluding the contact areas, can have a length-to-width ratio of between0.5 to 10, preferably. The width of the bodies can be the same as thecontact area or can be narrower than the contact areas. The contact canbe a single or a plurality in other embodiments, but preferably no morethan two for better results. The contact size can be larger than atleast one contact outside of the OTP memory array. The contact enclosurecan be smaller than at least one contact enclosure outside of the OTPmemory array in another embodiment.

FIG. 6( b 1) shows a 3D view of OTP cells 50′ constructed from finstructures 51′-1,2,3 and extended source/drain regions as diode programselector and OTP elements, respectively, on a substrate with field oxide55′ in a FinFET technology, according to one embodiment. The cells 50′are very similar to the cells 50 in FIG. 6( a 1) except that the finsare constructed as diodes with a dummy gate, instead of MOS devices. Thecells 50′ can, for example, be used as the programmable resistive cell30 illustrated in FIG. 4. Diodes 50′ are constructed from fins 51′-1,2,3with a dummy gate 59′ across to divide the fins into 53′-1,2,3 and57′-1,2,3 regions, respectively, which are further covered by P+ implant58′ and N+ implant 54′ to serve as P and N terminals of the diodes. Theregions 53′-1,2,3 of the FinFETs 51′-1,2,3 can be built with extendedsource/drain regions 52′-1,2,3, and contacts 56′-1,2,3 to couple tofirst supply voltage lines, respectively. The extended source/drainregions 52′-1,2,3 serve as OTP elements and can be covered by part P+implant 58′ and part N+ implant 54′. The OTP elements can be built asparts of the fin structure in another embodiment. The regions 57′-1,2,3can be built with extended source/drain regions and contacts (not shownin FIG. 6( b 1)) and to further coupled to a second supply voltage. Toprogram this programmable resistive device, high and low voltages can beapplied to the first and second supply voltages to conduct a currentflowing through the OTP elements 52′-1,2,3. Thus, the OTP elements52′-1,2,3 can be programmed into a high resistance state, depending onthe magnitude and duration of the current. By integrating the OTPelements and program selectors into the same fin structures, area can besaved and thus the costs can be lower. The P+ 58′ and N+ 54′ layers over52′-1,2,3 can be separated with a gap and the doping level in the gapregion can be slightly N, P, or unintentionally doped in anotherembodiment. The OTP elements 52′-1,2,3 can be all N, P, part N and partP doped in other embodiments. Particularly, the OTP elements 52-1,2,3can have N/P or P/N junction in the current direction for breakdown inanother embodiment. The P and N terminals of the diode can be reversedin another embodiment. The bodies of the OTP element 52′-1,2,3,excluding the contact areas, can be narrower than the contact area orthe same width as the contact area. The bodies of the OTP element52′-1,2,3 can have a length-to-width ratio of between 0.5 to 10. Theextended source/drains 52′-1,2,3 can be built extending from the ends orthe side walls of the fins in other embodiments. The contacts can be asingle or a plurality in other embodiments, but preferably no more thantwo for better results. The size of the contacts 56′-1,2,3 can be largerthan at least one contact outside of the OTP memory array. The contactenclosure can be smaller than at least one contact enclosure outside ofthe memory array. FIG. 6( b 2) shows a top view of OTP cells 50″,corresponding to the OTP cells 50 shown in FIG. 6( b 1), to illustratethe concepts more clearly.

FIG. 6( b 3) shows a 3D view of an OTP cell 50′″ constructed from a finstructure 51′″-1 using dummy gate 59′″ isolation to build a diode asprogram selector and part of the fin as an OTP element, on a substratewith field oxide 55′″ in a FinFET technology, according to oneembodiment. The cells 50′″ are very similar to the cells 50 in FIG. 6( a1) except that a fin is constructed as a diode using a dummy gate,instead of a MOS device. The cells 50′″ can, for example, be used as theprogrammable resistive cell 30 illustrated in FIG. 4. The diode 50′″ isconstructed from fin 51′″-1 with a dummy gate 59′″ across to divide thefin into 53′″-1 and 57′″-1, regions, respectively, which are furthercovered by P+ implant 58′″ and N+ implant 54′″ to serve as P and Nterminals of the diodes. The region 52′″-1 of the FinFET 51′″-1 can bebuilt using SiGe as raised source/drain to reduce resistance and with atleast one contact 56′″-1 to couple to a first supply voltage line. UsingSiGe in source/drain may show diamond shape of structures and may behigher than the fin height in some technologies, especially forsource/drain of a PMOS. The fin 53′″-1 serves as an OTP element with alength L and can be covered by part P+ implant 58′″ and part N+ implant54′″. The region 57′″-1 can be built with similar SiGe as raisedsource/drain 52′″-2 and at least one contact 56′″-2 and further coupledto a second supply voltage. To program this programmable resistivedevice, high and low voltages can be applied to the first and secondsupply voltages to conduct a current flowing through the OTP element53′″-1. Thus, the OTP element 52′″-1 can be programmed into a highresistance state, depending on the magnitude and duration of thecurrent. By integrating the OTP element and program selector into thesame fin structure, area can be saved and thus the costs can be lower.The OTP element 53′″-1 can be all N, P, part N and part P doped,silicided or non-silicided, in other embodiments. The OTP element 53′″-1can also be N− or P− LDD region and/or can be extended to be beyond thegate spacer region so that the shallow junction of the LDD region can beprogrammed in another embodiment. The P and N terminals of the diode canbe reversed in another embodiment. The body of the OTP element 53′″-1,excluding the contact areas, can be the same width as the fin width. Thebody of the OTP element 53′″-1 can have a length L to the fin widthratio of between 2 to 6. The contact can be a single or a plurality inother embodiments, but preferably no more than two for better results.The size of the contact 56′″-1 can be larger than at least one contactoutside of the OTP memory array. The contact enclosure can be smallerthan at least one contact enclosure outside of the memory array. In someembodiments, the contact can be replaced by metal-0, namely a localinterconnect, in large area so that self-alignment can be made and thecontact resistance can be reduced. Since the fin is a tall and narrowsilicon island, the heat generated on the top of the fin cannot bedissipated easily so that the fin itself can be programmed byelectromigration, especially when there is a silicide grown on top ofthe fin.

FIG. 6( c 1) shows a top view of 1×4 OTP cells 60 using diodes inFinFETs as program selectors and extended source/drain regions as OTPelements in a FinFET technology, according to one embodiment. The cells60 can, for example, be used as the programmable resistive cell 30illustrated in FIG. 4. Diodes are constructed from fins 61-1,2,3,4 witha dummy gate 69 across to divide the fins into 63-1,2,3,4 and 67-1,2,3,4regions, respectively, which are further covered by P+ implant 68 and N+implant 64 to serve as P and N portions of the diodes. The regions63-1,2,3,4 of the fins 61-1,2,3,4 can be built with extendedsource/drain regions 62-1,2,3,4 to serve as the OTP elements. Anotherextended source/drain 66-1 can be coupled between 62-1,2 and 66-2 can becoupled between 61-3,4. The OTP elements can be built as parts of thefin structure in another embodiment. The regions 66-1,2 can be slightlylarger to allow contacts to further coupled to metal bitlines BL1 andBL2, respectively. The regions 67-1,2,3,4 of the fins 61-1,2,3,4 can bebuilt with extended source/drain regions 65-1,2,3,4, respectively. The65-1 and 65-3 are coupled by a metal 64-1 as wordline bar (WLB0) and65-2 and 65-4 are coupled by another metal 64-2 as WLB1. To program theprogrammable resistive device, high and low voltages can be applied tothe bitline and wordline bar, respectively, to conduct a current flowingthrough the OTP elements. Thus, the OTP elements can be programmed intoa high resistance state, depending on the magnitude and duration of thecurrent. In this embodiment, two adjacent fins share a common bitlineand every other cell in a row share a common wordline. The bitlines andwordlines can run in the vertical and horizontal directions,respectively, to construct a two-dimensional cell array. This embodimenthas advantages when the space between fins is very large that can beused to accommodate OTP elements and contacts. In another embodiment,the bitlines between fins can be separated and the wordline bars can beshared for all 4 cells in a row, when the space between fins is wideenough. FIG. 6( c 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to thecells shown in FIG. 6( c 1).

FIG. 6( d 1) shows a top view of 1×4 OTP cells 60″ using FinFET MOSdevices as program selectors and extended source/drain regions as OTPelements, respectively, in a FinFET technology, according to oneembodiment. The cells 60″ can, for example, be used as the programmableresistive cell 30 illustrated in FIG. 4. MOS devices are constructedfrom fins 61″-1,2,3,4 with a gate 69″ across to divide the fins intodrains 63″-1,2,3,4 and sources 67″-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, whichare further covered by N+ implant 64″ to construct NMOS devices. Theregions 63″-1,2,3,4 of the fins 61″-1,2,3,4 can be built with extendedsource/drain regions 62″-1,2,3,4 as the bodies of OTP elements,respectively. Another extended source/drain 66″-1 can be coupled between61″-1 and 61″-2 and 66″-2 can be coupled between 61″-3 and 61″-4. Theregions 66″-1,2 can be slightly larger to allow contacts to furthercoupled to metal bitlines BL1 and BL2, respectively. The OTP elementscan be built as parts of the fin structure in another embodiment. Theregion 67″-1,2,3,4 of the fins 61″-1,2,3,4 can be built with extendedsource/drain regions 65″-1,2,3,4 as source lines (SL1,2,3,4),respectively. In other embodiment, the SL1/SL3 can be shared and SL2/SL4can be shared too. The gate 69″ can be coupled to a wordline (WL). Toprogram this programmable resistive device, suitable voltages can beapplied to the bitline, source line, and wordline to turn on the MOSdevices 61″-1,2,3,4 and to conduct a current flowing through the OTPelements. Thus, the OTP elements can be programmed into a highresistance state, depending on the magnitude and duration of thecurrent. In this embodiment, two adjacent fins share a bitline and eachcell has its own source line. The bitline/source line and wordline canrun in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, toconstruct a two-dimensional cell array. This embodiment has advantageswhen the space between fins is very large that can be used toaccommodate OTP elements. In another embodiment, the bitlines betweenfins can be separated and the source lines can be shared for all 4 cellsin a row, when the space between fins is wider enough. FIG. 6( d 2)shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to the cells shown in FIG. 6(d 1).

FIG. 7( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 OTP cells 90 using FinFETs as OTPelements and extended source/drain regions as program selectors,respectively, in a FinFET technology, according to one embodiment. Thecells 90 can, for example, be used as the programmable resistive cell 30illustrated in FIG. 4. MOS devices are constructed from fins 91-1,2,3,4with a gate 99 across to divide the fins into drains 93-1,2,3,4 andsources 97-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, which are further covered byN+ implant 94 to construct NMOS devices. The NMOS devices 91-1,2,3,4 canbe used for breakdown as OTP elements. The regions 93-1,2,3,4 of thefins 91-1,2,3,4 can be built with extended source/drain regions92-1,2,3,4 as diode program selectors, respectively, with P+ implant 98in one end and N+ implant 94 in the other end. Alternatively, The diodeas program selector can be built as parts of the fin structure inanother embodiment. The N+ 94 and P+ 98 layers can be separated with aspace and a Silicide Block Layer (SBL) 99″ can cover the space andoverlap into both regions. The width of the space and the doping levelin the space region can be used to adjust the diode's breakdown orleakage current. If there is no silicide on top of the extendedsource/drain regions, the SBL 99″ can be omitted in other embodiment.The diodes 92-1,2,3,4 can be coupled to another extended source/drains96-1,2,3,4, which are further coupled to bitlines (BL1,2,3,4) throughcontacts. The BL1,2,3,4 can be coupled to first supply voltages. Theregions 97-1,2,3,4 of the fins 91-1,2,3,4 can be built with an extendedsource/drain region 95, which can be further coupled to a ground line 95(VSS). The ground line 95 can be coupled to a second supply voltage. Thegate 99 can be coupled to a wordline (WL). In one embodiment, the gate99 can be turned off during programming so that the NMOS FinFETs can bebroken down by high voltage. In another embodiment, the gate 99 can beturned on during programming so that the NMOS FinFETs can be broken downby high current. To program this programmable resistive device, suitablevoltages can be applied to the first, second supply voltages andwordline to turn on the diodes 92-1,2,3,4 and to conduct a currentflowing through the OTP elements. Thus, the OTP elements can beprogrammed into high or low resistance state, depending on the magnitudeand duration of the current. The bitlines and wordlines/ground line canrun in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, toconstruct a two-dimensional cell array. If there is no silicideavailable, the SBL can be omitted in another embodiment. FIG. 7( a 2)shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to the cells shown in FIG. 7(a 1).

FIG. 8( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 OTP cells 100 using fins101-1,2,3,4 as OTP elements and extended source/drain regions102-1,2,3,4 as program selectors, respectively, in a FinFET technology,according to one embodiment. The cells 100 can, for example, be used asthe programmable resistive cell 30 illustrated in FIG. 4. The cells 100are similar to the cells 90 in FIG. 7( a 1) except that the fins areconstructed as junction diodes, instead of MOS devices, for OTPelements. The cells 100 have back-to-back diodes as OTP elements andprogram selectors for breakdown. FIG. 8( a 2) shows an equivalentcircuit corresponding to the cells shown in FIG. 8( a 1). In anotherembodiment, the fins 101-1,2,3,4 can be constructed as diodes usingdummy MOS gate such that the OTP cells have back-to-back diodes forbreakdown.

FIG. 9( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 OTP cells 110 using MOS devices inFinFETs as program selectors and interconnects as OTP elements,respectively, in a FinFET technology, according to one embodiment. Thecells 110 can, for example, be used as the programmable resistive cell30 illustrated in FIG. 4. MOS devices are constructed from fins111-1,2,3,4 with a gate 119 across to divide the fins into drains113-1,2,3,4 and sources 117-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, which arefurther covered by N+ implant 114 to construct NMOS devices. The drain113-1,2,3,4 regions of the fins 111-1,2,3,4 can be built with extendedsource/drain regions 112-1,2,3,4 and coupled to interconnects118-1,2,3,4 through contacts areas 116-1,2,3,4. The interconnects havebodies 118-1,2,3,4 coupled to the metal bitlines BL1,2,3,4 throughanother contact areas 119-1,2,3,4, respectively. The contact areas116-1,2,3,4 or 119-1,2,3,4 can be slightly larger to allow a single orplural of contacts for each OTP cell. Alternatively, the width of thebodies 118-1,2,3,4 can be the same as the width of the contact areas116-1,2,3,4 or 119-1,2,3,4. The length-to-width ratio of the bodies118-1,2,3,4 can be between 0.5 to 10 for better results. The regions117-1,2,3,4 of the fins 111-1,2,3,4 can be built with extendedsource/drain regions 115 and coupled to a ground line (VSS). The gate119 can be coupled to a wordline (WL). To program this programmableresistive device, suitable voltages can be applied to the bitline,ground line, and wordline to turn on the MOS devices constructed fromfins 111-1,2,3,4 and to conduct a current flowing through theinterconnects. Thus, the interconnects can be programmed into a highresistance state, depending on the magnitude and duration or thecurrent. The bitlines and wordlines/ground line can run in the verticaland horizontal directions, respectively, to construct a two-dimensionalcell array. FIG. 9( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding tothe cells shown in FIG. 9( a 1).

FIG. 9( b 1) shows a top view of 1×4 OTP cells 110″ using diodes inFinFETs as program selectors and interconnects as OTP elements,respectively, in a FinFET technology, according to one embodiment. Thecells 110″ can, for example, be used as the programmable resistive cell30 illustrated in FIG. 4. Diodes are constructed from fins 111″-1,2,3,4with a dummy gate 119″ across to divide the fins into drain 113″-1,2,3,4and source 117″-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, which are further coveredby P+ implant 128″ and N+ implant 114″ to construct the P and N regionsof the diodes, respectively. The regions 113″-1,2,3,4 of the fins111″-1,2,3,4 can be built with extended source/drain regions112″-1,2,3,4 and coupled to interconnects 118″-1,2,3,4 through contactsareas 116″-1,2,3,4. The interconnects have bodies 118″-1,2,3,4 coupledto the metal bitlines BL1,2,3,4 through another contact areas119″-1,2,3,4, respectively. The contact areas 116″-1,2,3,4 or119″-1,2,3,4 can be slightly larger to allow a single or plural ofcontacts for each OTP cell. Alternatively, the width of the bodies118″-1,2,3,4 can be the same as the width of the contact areas116″-1,2,3,4 or 119″-1,2,3,4. The bodies 118″-1,2,3,4 can have alength-to-width ratio of between 0.5 to 10 for better results. Thecontacts in 116″-1,2,3,4 or 119″-1,2,3,4 can be larger than at least onecontact outside of the OTP memory array. The contact enclosures in116″-1,2,3,4 or 119″-1,2,3,4 can be smaller than at least one contactenclosure outside of the OTP memory array. The regions 117″-1,2,3,4 ofthe fins 111″-1,2,3,4 can be built with extended source/drain regions115″ and coupled to a wordline bar (WLB). The dummy gate 119″ onlyserves for isolation during fabrication and can be coupled to a fixedvoltage supply. To program this programmable resistive device, suitablevoltages can be applied to the bitline and wordline bar to turn on thediodes 111″-1,2,3,4 and to conduct a current flowing through theinterconnects. Thus, the interconnects can be programmed into a highresistance state, depending on the magnitude and duration of thecurrent. The bitlines and wordline bars can run in the vertical andhorizontal directions, respectively, to construct a two-dimensional cellarray. FIG. 9( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to thecells shown in FIG. 9( b 1).

The interconnects 118-1,2,3,4 in the FIG. 9( a 1) or 9(b 1) can includeat least a portion of polysilicon, silicided polysilicon, silicide,polymetal, metal, metal alloy, local interconnect, thermally isolatedactive region, CMOS gate, or combination thereof. A CMOS gate can be anN type, P type, or part N and part P type of polysilicon, silicidedpolysilicon or silicide in one embodiment. Alternatively a CMOS gate canbe a non-aluminum metal gate, which can be metals between barrier orbuffer metals, such as TiN or TaN, in another embodiment. Sometimesdifferent metals can be used for NMOS or PMOS gates. A localinterconnect is a by-product of a salicide process that can be TiN, TaN,or some kinds of metal nitrides or silicides. In a salicide process, alayer of TiN or TaN can be fabricated during silicidation ofsource/drain and polysilicon gate of a MOS after spacers are formed. Ifthis layer is not etched away, this layer can be used as interconnectbetween source/drain and gate and hence called local interconnect. Inadvanced MOS beyond 28 nm, an local interconnect, also called metal 0,can be used to interconnect source/drain to gate, gate to metal 1, orsource/drain to metal 1 in one or two levels of interconnect. Thermallyisolated active regions are active regions that are electrically andthermally isolated from the substrate and can be fully isolated fromeach other as in FinFET SOI or partially isolated from each other as inFinFET bulk technologies. Particularly, the extended source/drainregions in FinFET technologies can be used as thermally isolated activeregions, which can also be used as an OTP element or diode as programselector as shown in FIGS. 6( a) to 8(a 2). The interconnect can have asingle or plural of contacts in one or both ends. The number of contactsis preferably no more than 2 for polysilicon, local interconnect, orisolated active region, or no more than 4 for metals. The contact sizecan be larger than at least one contact outside of the OTP memory array.The contact enclosure can be smaller than at least one contact enclosureoutside of the OTP memory array. The body of the interconnect can beslightly narrower than in the contact areas in one embodiment, or can bethe same width of the contact areas in either end in another embodiment.The width of the body can be substantially close to the minimum width ofthe interconnect. The length to width ratio of the body, excluding thecontact areas, of the interconnect is preferably between 0.5 to 10 fornon-metals or between 10 to 20 for metals to achieve better results. Theabove discussions are for illustration purposes. There are manyvarieties of embodiments and their combinations thereof are consideredequivalent and that are still within the scope of this invention forthose skilled in the art.

FIG. 9( c 1) shows a top view of an electrical fuse element 88 accordingto one embodiment. The electrical fuse element 88 can, for example, beused as the resistive element 30 a illustrated in FIG. 4. The electricalfuse element 88 includes an anode 89, a cathode 80, and a body 81. Inthis embodiment, the electrical fuse element 88 is a bar shape with asmall anode 89 and cathode 80 to reduce area. The anode 89 and cathode80 may protrude from the body 81 to make contacts. The contact numbercan be one (1) for both the anode 89 and the cathode 80 so that the areacan be very small. The contacts can be larger than at least one contactoutside of the memory array in another embodiment. However, the contactarea for anode 89 is often made larger so that the anode 89 can resistelectro-migration more than the cathode 80. The fuse body 81 can havethe length to width ratio of about 0.5-to-10, to optimize cell area andprogram current. The fuse element 88 has a P+ implant 82 covering partof the body 81 and the cathode 80, while an N+ implant over the rest ofarea. This embodiment makes the fuse element 88 behave like a reversebiased diode to increase resistance after being programmed, whensilicide on top is depleted by electro-migration, ion diffusion,silicide decomposition, and other effects. It is desirable to make theprogram voltage compatible with the I/O voltages, such as 3.3V, 2.5V, or1.8V, for ease of use without the need for a charge pump. Moreover, theprogram voltage pin can also be shared with the standard I/O supplyvoltage pins. To make the cell small while reducing the contactresistance in the overall conduction path, the number of contacts in theOTP element or diode can be no more than two for polysilicon or localinterconnect, or no more than four for metal fuse in a single cell inone embodiment. Similarly, the contact size of the OTP element or diodecan be larger than at least one contact outside of the memory array inanother embodiment. The contact enclosure can be smaller than at leastone contact enclosure outside of the memory array in other embodiments.

FIG. 9( c 2) shows a top view of an electrical fuse structure 88′ with asmall body 81′-1 and slightly tapered structures 81′-2 and 81′-3,according to another embodiment. The electrical fuse element 88′ can,for example, be used as the resistive element 30 a illustrated in FIG.4. The electrical fuse element 88′ includes an anode 89′, a cathode 80′,a body 81′-1 and tapered structures 81′-2 and 81′-3 coupled to cathode80′ and anode 89′, respectively. The length (L) and width (W) ratio ofthe body 81′-1 is preferably between 0.5 and 10 for better results. Inthis embodiment, the electrical fuse element 88′ is substantially a barshape with a small anode 89′ and cathode 80′ to reduce area. The anode89′ and cathode 80′ may protrude from the body 81′ to make contacts. Thecontact number can be one (1) for both the anode 89′ and the cathode 80′so that the area can be very small. The contact can be larger than atleast one contact outside of the memory array in another embodiment. Thecontact enclosure can be smaller than at least one contact enclosureoutside of the memory array in other embodiments. P+ implant layer 82′covers part of the body and N+ implant layer (the complement of P+)covers the other part so that the bodies 81′-1 can behave like a reversebiased diode to enhance resistance ratio during read, such as whensilicide on top is depleted after program.

FIG. 9( c 3) shows a top view of an electrical fuse element 88″according to another embodiment. The electrical fuse element 88″ issimilar to the one shown in FIG. 9( c 1) except a heat sink is coupledto the anode. The electrical fuse element 88″ can, for example, be usedas the resistive element 30 a illustrated in FIG. 4. The electrical fuseelement 88″ includes an anode 89″, a cathode 80″, a body 81″, and an N+active region 83″. The N+ active region 83″ on a P type substrate iscoupled to the anode 89″ through a metal 84″. In this embodiment, the N+active region 83″ is electrically isolated from the conduction path(i.e. N+/P sub diode is reverse biased), but thermally conductive to theP substrate. Thus, this embodiment can create a steep temperaturegradient to accelerate programming.

FIG. 9( c 4) shows a top view of an electrical fuse element 98 accordingto another embodiment. The electrical fuse element 98 is similar to theone shown in FIG. 9( c 1) except a thinner oxide region is created nearthe anode. The electrical fuse element 98 can, for example, be used asthe resistive element 30 a illustrated in FIG. 4. The electrical fuseelement 98 includes an anode 99, a cathode 90, a body 91, and an activeregion 93 near the anode 99. The active region 93 underneath the MOSgate 91 makes the oxide thinner in the area than the other (i.e. thingate oxide instead of thick STI oxide). The thinner oxide above theactive region 93 can dissipate heat faster to create a temperaturegradient to accelerate programming. This embodiment can be applied tothose fuse elements fabricated from MOS gates, such as polysilicon ormetal gate.

FIG. 9( c 5) shows a top view of an electrical fuse element 98′according to another embodiment. The electrical fuse element 98′ issimilar to the one shown in FIG. 9( c 1) except the fuse element has atleast one notch in the body to assist programming. The electrical fuseelement 98′ can, for example, be used as the resistive element 30 aillustrated in FIG. 4. The electrical fuse element 98′ includes an anode99′, a cathode 90′, and a body 91′. The body 91′ has at least a notch95′ so that the fuse element can be easily broken during programming.

FIG. 9( c 6) shows a top view of an electrical fuse element 98″according to another embodiment. The electrical fuse element 98″ issimilar to the one shown in FIG. 9( c 1) except the fuse element is partNMOS and part PMOS metal gates. The electrical fuse element 98″ can, forexample, be used as the resistive element 30 a illustrated in FIG. 4.The electrical fuse element 98″ includes an anode 99″, a cathode 90″,and bodies 91″ and 93″ fabricated from PMOS and NMOS metal gates,respectively. By using different types of metals in the same fuseelement, the thermal expansion can create a large stress to rupture thefuse when the temperature is raised during programming.

FIG. 9( c 7) shows a top view of an electrical fuse element 888according to another embodiment. The electrical fuse element 888 issimilar to the one shown in FIG. 9( c 1) except the fuse element isbuilt with a polysilicon between metal gates. The electrical fuseelement 888 can, for example, be used as the resistive element 30 aillustrated in FIG. 4. The electrical fuse element 888 includes an NMOSmetal gate as anode 889, a PMOS metal gate as cathode 891, and apolysilicon as body 881. In a gate-last or Replacement Metal Gate (RMG)metal-gate process, polysilicon can be provided and used as placeholders for CMOS gates. After high temperature cycles of silicidationand source/drain annealing, the polysilicon gates are etched andreplaced by metal gates. Different types of metals can be used for NMOSand PMOS metal gates to suite NMOS/PMOS threshold voltage requirements.Since use of polysilicon as gates or interconnects are available beforereplaced by metal gates, a portion of polysilicon can be preserved bymodifying the layout database with layout logic operations. For example,the N+ and P+ implant layers with N well can be used to define NMOS andPMOS in the conventional CMOS. The N+ and P+ layers can be modified withlogic operations as N′+ layer 835 and P′+ layer 838, respectively, sothat a segment of polysilicon 881 can be preserved. The polysilicon as afuse body 881 can be implanted by NLDD, PLDD, N+ source/drain, P+source/drain, or threshold voltage (Vt) adjust implants with minimummasks increment. The OTP can be all N, P, or part N and part P. The OTPelement can be breakdown by high voltage or high current. In oneembodiment, the polysilicon body can be between the same NMOS or PMOSmetal gates. In another embodiment, the polysilicon body is coupled toneither NMOS nor PMOS metal gate.

FIG. 9( c 8) shows a top view of a diode 888′ according to anotherembodiment. The diode 888′ is similar to the OTP element 888 shown inFIG. 9( c 7) except the OTP body is further divided into N type and Ptype regions to act as a diode. The diode 888′ can, for example, be usedas the resistive element 30 a or program selector 30 b illustrated inFIG. 4. The diode 888′ includes an NMOS metal gate as anode 889′, a PMOSmetal gate as cathode 891′, and a polysilicon 881′ as body. The body881′ is further divided into three regions 881′-1, 888′-3, and 888′-2,covered by modified NLDD′ layer 845′, modified PLDD′ layer 848′, andnone, respectively. The layers 845′ and 848′ can be generated from NLDDand PLDD layers with logic operations so that the areas 881′-1 and881′-3 can receive NLDD and PLDD implants, respectively. The NLDD′ 845′and PLDD′ 848′ can be separated with a space D. The doping concentrationin the space region can be slightly N or P, or unintentionally doped.The width of the space and the doping level in the space region can beused to adjust the diode's breakdown or leakage current. A silicideblock layer (SBL) 885′ can cover the space and overlap into bothregions. The SBL 885′ can be used to block silicide formation to preventthe bodies 881′-1 and 881′-3 from being shorts in one embodiment. Thebodies 881′-1 and 881′-3 are coupled to anode 889′ and 891′,respectively, which serve as the N and P terminals of a diode. The diodecan be used as an OTP element by junction breakdown under forward orreverse bias condition, or as program selector. The NLDD or PLDD asdiscussed above is for illustration purposes. The dopants to create adiode can be modified NLDD, PLDD, N+, P+, Vt-adjust, or other implantswith minimum masks increment.

The fuse elements shown in FIGS. 9( c 1)-9(c 8) are only to illustratecertain concepts of embodiments of fuse elements. The fuse elements canbe built from any interconnects, such as polysilicon, silicidedpolysilicon, silicide, local interconnect, metal, metal alloy, thermallyisolated active region, CMOS gate, or combination thereof. The fuseelement can be N type, P type, or part N and part P type, if applicable.The fuse element can have an anode, a cathode, and at least one body.The anode or cathode contacts can be no more than 2 forpolysilicon/local interconnect, and can be no more than 4 for metalfuse, preferably. The contact size can be larger than at least onecontact outside of the OTP memory array. The contact enclosure can besmaller than at least one contact enclosure outside of the OTP memoryarray to lower the electromigration threshold. The length to width ratioin the body can be between 0.5-10 for polysilicon/localinterconnect/isolated active region, or between 10 to 20 for metal,preferably. There are many variations or combinations of embodiments inpart or all that can be considered equivalent embodiments and that arestill within the scope of embodiments of the invention.

Polysilicon used to define CMOS gates or as interconnect in ahigh-K/metal-gate CMOS process can also be used as OTP elements. Thefuse element can be P type, N type, or part N and part P type ifapplicable. Particularly, the after/before resistance ratio can beenhanced for those fuse elements that have P+ and N+ implants to createa diode after being programmed, such as polysilicon, thermally isolatedactive region, or gate of a high-K/metal-gate CMOS. For example, if ametal-gate CMOS has a sandwich structure of polysilicon between metalalloy layers, the metal alloy layers may be blocked by masks generatedfrom layout database to create a diode in the fuse elements. In SOI orSOI-like processes, a fuse element can also be constructed from athermally isolated active region such that the fuse element can beimplanted with N+, P+, or part N+ and part P+ in each end of the activeregion. If a fuse element is partly implanted with N+ and P+, the fuseelement can behave like a reverse-biased diode, such as when silicide ontop is depleted after being programmed. If there is no silicide on topof active regions, an OTP element can be constructed from a thermallyisolated active region with part N+ and part P+ to act as a diode forbreakdown under forward or reverse bias. Using isolated active region toconstruct an OTP element, the OTP element can be merged with part of theprogram-selector diode in one single active island to save area.

In some processing technologies that can offer Local Interconnect (LI),Local interconnect can be used as part or all of an OTP element. Localinterconnect, also called as metal-0 (MO), is a by-product of a salicideprocess that has the capability to interconnect polysilicon or MOS gatewith an active region directly. In advanced MOS technologies beyond 28nm, the scaling along the silicon surface dimensions is much faster thanscaling in the height. As a consequence, the aspect ratio of CMOS gateheight to the channel length is very large such that making contactsbetween metal 1 and source/drain or CMOS gate very difficult. Localinterconnect can be used as an intermediate interconnect betweensource/drain to CMOS gate, between CMOS gate to metal1, or betweensource/drain to metal1 in one or two levels. An OTP element and oneterminal of the program-selector diode can be connected directly throughlocal interconnect without needing any contacts to save area. Thoseskilled in the art understand that the above discussions are forillustration purposes and that there are many variations and equivalentsin constructing OTP elements in CMOS processes, The variations, orcombination of the variations in part or all are considered equivalentembodiments and that are all within the scope of embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 10( a) shows a top view of a 2×4 OTP array 130 comprising two 1×4OTP cells that can, for example, be the OTP cells in FIGS. 6( a)-8(a 2)that use MOS devices as program selectors. The 2×4 OTP array 130 havetwo 1×4 OTP cells 130-1 and 130-2 that share the same bitline contactsalong the column direction. In other embodiment, the extendedsource/drain region of the bitlines can be separated, but the higherlevel of interconnect, such as metal, can be shared. In anotherembodiment, the sources of the MOS 137-1 can be shared with the adjacentcells in the column direction when another 2×4 OTP array 130 is placedabove. The construction of multiple-row arrays can be applied to otherkinds of programmable resistive devices too.

FIG. 10( b) shows a top view of a 2×4 OTP array 130′ comprising two 1×4OTP cells that can, for example, be the OTP cells in FIGS. 6( a)-8(a 2)that use diodes as program selectors. FIG. 10( b) is similar to FIG. 10(a) except that diodes are used as program selectors, instead of MOSdevices. The 2×4 OTP array 130′ have two 1×4 OTP cells 130′-1 and 130′-2that share the same bitline contacts along the column direction. Inother embodiment, the extended source/drain region of the bitlines canbe separated, but the higher level of interconnect, such as metal, canbe shared. The construction of multiple-row arrays can be applied toother kinds of programmable resistive devices too.

FIG. 11( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 Phase-Change RAM (PCRAM) cells 140using diodes in FinFETs as program selectors and an phase-change memoryfilm (PCM) as programmable resistive elements in a FinFET technology,according to one embodiment. The PCRAM cells 140 can, for example, beused as the programmable resistive cell 30 illustrated in FIG. 4. Diodesare constructed from fins 141-1,2,3,4 with a dummy gate 142 across todivide the fins into 143-1,2,3,4 and 147-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively,which are further covered by P+ implant 148 and N+ implant 144 to serveas P and N portions of the diodes. The regions 143-1,2,3,4 of the fins141-1,2,3,4 can be built with extended source/drain regions 146-1,2,3,4where contacts 145-1,2,3,4 are built, respectively, to coupled to awordline (WL). A phase-change memory (PCM) film 149 fills the contactholes 145-1,2,3,4 and is also used as an interconnect between cells in arow. The active region of PCM for each cell is only limited to thecontact area 145-1,2,3,4 and the rest of PCM is only for connectivity.Another extended source/drains 156-1,2,3,4 can be coupled to the N+portions of the fin 147-1,2,3,4, respectively, to serve as bitlines(BLs). To program this programmable resistive device, high and lowvoltages can be applied to the wordline and bitlines, respectively, toconduct a current flowing through the PCM elements. Thus, the PCMelements can be programmed into high or low resistance state, dependingon the magnitude, duration, and/or current/voltage limit. The bitlinesand wordline can run in the vertical and horizontal directions,respectively, to construct a two-dimensional cell array. FIG. 11( a 2)shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to the cells shown in FIG. 11(a 1). In another embodiment, the PCM is located in each contact holeonly so that wordline can be separated for each cell while the bitlinescan be merged into one.

FIG. 11( b 1) shows a top view of 1×4 Phase-Change RAM (PCRAM) cells140″ using MOS devices in FinFETs as program selectors and anphase-change memory film (PCM) as programmable resistive elements in aFinFET technology, according to one embodiment. The PCRAM cells 140″can, for example, be used as the programmable resistive cell 30illustrated in FIG. 4. MOS devices are constructed from fins141″-1,2,3,4 with a gate 142″ (as a wordline) across to divide the finsinto 143″-1,2,3,4 and 147″-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, which arecovered by N+ implant 144″ to create NMOS. The regions 143″-1,2,3,4 ofthe fins 141-1,2,3,4 can be built with extended source/drain regions146″-1,2,3,4 where contacts 145″-1,2,3,4 are built, respectively, andcoupled to a source line (SL), respectively. A phase-change memory (PCM)film fills the contact holes 145″-1,2,3,4 and is also used as aninterconnect 149″ for cells in a row. The active region of PCM for eachcell is only limited to the contact area 145″-1,2,3,4 and the rest ofPCM is only for connectivity. Another extended source/drains156″-1,2,3,4 can be coupled to the portions of the fin 147″-1,2,3,4 toserve as bitlines BL1,2,3,4. To program this programmable resistivedevice, suitable voltages can be applied to the source line, wordline,and bitline to conduct a current flowing through the PCM elements. Thus,the PCM elements can be programmed into high or low resistance state,depending on the magnitude, duration, and/or current/voltage limit. Thebitlines, and source line/wordline can run in the vertical andhorizontal directions, respectively, to construct a two-dimensional cellarray. FIG. 11( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to thecells shown in FIG. 11( b 1). In another embodiment, the PCM is locatedin each contact hole only so that source line can be separated for eachcell while the bitlines can be merged into one.

FIG. 12( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 Phase-Change RAM (PCRAM) cells 160using diodes in FinFETs as program selectors and phase-change memoryfilms (PCMs) as programmable resistive elements in a FinFET technology,according to one embodiment. The PCRAM cells 160-1,2,3,4 can, forexample, be used as the programmable resistive cell 30 illustrated inFIG. 4. Diodes are constructed from fins 161-1,2,3,4 with a dummy gate162 across to divide the fins into 163-1,2,3,4 and 167-1,2,3,4 regions,respectively, which are further covered by P+ implant 168 and N+ implant164 to serve as P and N portions of the diodes. The regions 163-1,2,3,4of the fins 161-1,2,3,4 can be built with extended source/drain regions166-1,2,3,4, which are coupled to PCM 169-1,2,3,4 (through contacts165-1,2,3,4) and are further coupled to metal bitlines 172-1,2,3,4(through contact 175-1,2,3,4), respectively. The bitlines 172-1,2,3,4can run through the cells in the same column. In this embodiment, thePCMs 169-1,2,3,4 are planar structures that can be placed over theprogram selectors and are separated between cells. Another extendedsource/drain 177 can be coupled to the N+ portions of the fin167-1,2,3,4 to serve as the wordline bar (WLB). To program thisprogrammable resistive device, suitable voltages can be applied to thebitline and wordline bar to conduct a current flowing through the PCMelements. Thus, the PCM elements can be programmed into high or lowresistance state, depending on the magnitude, duration, and/orcurrent/voltage limit. The bitlines and wordline bar can run in thevertical and horizontal directions, respectively, to construct atwo-dimensional cell array. FIG. 12( a 2) shows an equivalent circuitcorresponding to the cells shown in FIG. 12( a 1).

FIG. 12( b 1) shows a top view of 1×4 Phase-Change RAM (PCRAM) cells160″ using MOS in FinFETs as program selectors and phase-change memoryfilms (PCMs) as programmable resistive elements in a FinFET technology,according to one embodiment. The PCRAM cells 160″-1,2,3,4 can, forexample, be used as the programmable resistive cell 30 illustrated inFIG. 4. MOS devices are constructed from fins 161″-1,2,3,4 with a gate162″ (as a wordline) across to divide the fins into drains 163″-1,2,3,4and sources 167″-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, which are covered by N+implant 164″ to serve as NMOS. The regions 163″-1,2,3,4 of the fins161″-1,2,3,4 can be built with extended source/drain regions166″-1,2,3,4, which are coupled to PCMs 169″-1,2,3,4 (through contacts165″-1,2,3,4) and are further coupled to metal bitlines 172″-1,2,3,4(through contact 175″-1,2,3,4), respectively. The bitlines 172″-1,2,3,4can run through the cells for the cells in the same column. In thisembodiment, the PCMs 169″-1,2,3,4 are planar structures that can beplaced over the program selectors and are separated between cells.Another extended source/drain 177″ can be coupled to the source portionsof the fin 167″-1,2,3,4 to serve as a ground line (VSS). To program thisprogrammable resistive device, suitable voltages can be applied to thebitline, wordline, and ground line to conduct a current flowing throughthe PCM elements. Thus, the PCM elements can be programmed into high orlow resistance state, depending on the magnitude, duration, and/orcurrent/voltage limit. The bitlines and wordline can run in the verticaland horizontal directions, respectively, to construct a two-dimensionalcell array. FIG. 12( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding tothe cells shown in FIG. 12( b 1).

The programmable resistive elements shown in FIGS. 11( a 1)-12(b 2) canbe any reversible resistive device that can be programmed into a digitallogic value “0” or “1” repetitively and reversibly. The programmableresistive device can be fabricated from phase change material, such asGermanium (Ge), Antimony (Sb), and Tellurium (Te) with compositionGe₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST-225) or GeSbTe-like materials including compositions ofIndium (In), Tin (Sn), or Selenium (Se). Another phase change film is achalcogenide material such as AgInSbTe. The phase change material can beprogrammed into a high resistance amorphous state or a low resistancecrystalline state by applying a short and high voltage pulse or a longand low voltage pulse, respectively. Conventionally, to program aphase-change memory to a high resistance state (or reset state) requiresabout 3V for 50 ns and consumes about 300 uA of current, or to program aphase-change memory to a low resistance state (or set state) requiresabout 2V for 300 ns and consumes about 100 uA of current.

Another type of reversible resistive device is a class of memory calledResistive RAM (RRAM), which is a normally insulating dielectric, but canbe made to conducting through filament, defects, metal migration, etc.The dielectric can be binary transition metal oxides such as NiO orTiO2, perovskite materials such as Sr(Zr)TiO3 or PCMO, organic chargetransfer complexes such as CuTCNQ, or organic donor-acceptor systemssuch as Al AlDCN. One common RRAM has cells fabricated from metal oxidesbetween electrodes, such as Pt/NiO/Pt, TiN/TiOx/HfO2/TiN, TiN/ZnO/Pt,etc. The resistance states can be changed reversibly and determined bypolarity, magnitude, duration, or voltage/current-limit of pulse(s) togenerate or annihilate conductive filaments. Another programmableresistive device similar to RRAM is a Conductive Bridge RAM (CBRAM) thatis based on electro-chemical deposition and removal of metal ions in athin solid-state electrolyte film. The electrodes can be an oxidizableanode and an inert cathode and the electrolyte can be Ag- or Cu-dopedchalcogenide glass such as GeSe or GeS, etc. The resistance states canbe changed reversibly and determined by polarity, magnitude, duration,or voltage/current-limit of pulse(s) to generate or annihilateconductive bridges.

FIG. 13( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 Magnetic RAM (MRAM) cells 180using MOS devices in FinFETs as program selectors and Magnetic TunnelJunctions (MTJs) as programmable resistive elements in a FinFETtechnology, according to one embodiment. The MRAM cells 180 can, forexample, be used as the programmable resistive cell 30 illustrated inFIG. 4. MOS devices are constructed from fins 181-1,2,3,4 with a gate182 (as a wordline) across to divide the fins into 183-1,2,3,4 and187-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, which are covered by N+ implant 184to create NMOS. The regions 183-1,2,3,4 of the fins 181-1,2,3,4 can bebuilt with extended source/drain regions 186-1,2,3,4 where contacts185-1,2,3,4 are built and coupled to MTJs 189-1,2,3,4, respectively. TheMTJs 189-1,2,3,4 are further coupled to metals 199-1,2,3,4 through topcontacts 195-1,2,3,4, respectively. The metals 199-1,2,3,4 can runthrough the cells and serve ad bitlines BL1,2,3,4, respectively. Anotherextended source/drain 197-1,2,3,4 can be coupled to the portions of thefin 187-1,2,3,4 to serve as source lines (SLs). To program the MRAM intoa 0 state, a high and a low voltage can be applied to the bitline, andsource line, respectively, to conduct a current flowing through the MTJ,while the wordline is turned on. To program the MRAM into a 1 state, alow and a high voltage can be applied to the bitline and source line,respectively, to conduct a current flowing through the MTJ, while thewordline is turned on. Thus, the MTJs can be programmed into high or lowresistance state, depending on the current direction. The bitlines andwordline can run in the vertical and horizontal directions,respectively, to construct a two-dimensional cell array. The FinFETs ina MRAM cell can be single or plural of fin structures in otherembodiment. FIG. 13( a 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding tothe cells shown in FIG. 13( a 1).

FIG. 13( b 1) shows a top view of 1×2 Magnetic RAM (MRAM) cells 180″using diodes in FinFETs as program selectors and Magnetic TunnelJunctions (MTJs) as programmable resistive elements in a FinFETtechnology, according to one embodiment. FIG. 13( b 1) is similar toFIG. 13( a 1), except that two diodes are used as program selectors in acell for programming 0 and 1, respectively. The MRAM cells 180″ can, forexample, be used as the programmable resistive cell 30 illustrated inFIG. 4. Diodes are constructed from fins 181″-1,2,3,4 with a dummy gate182″ across to divide the fins into 183″-1,2,3,4 and 187″-1,2,3,4regions, respectively, which are further covered by P+ implant 188″ andN+ implant 184″ to create P and N portions of the diodes 180″-1,2,3,4,respectively. The regions 183″-1,2,3,4 of the fins 181″-1,2,3,4 can bebuilt with extended source/drain regions 186″-1,2,3,4. The P portion ofthe diode 181″-1 is coupled to the N portion of the diode 181″-2 andthey are further coupled to a MTJ 189″-1 through a contact 185″-1.Similarly, the P portion of the diode 181″-3 is coupled to the N portionof the diode 181″-4 and they are further coupled to a MTJ 189″-3 througha contact 185″-3. The MTJs 189″-1,3 are further coupled to metals199″-1,3 through top contacts 195″-1,3, respectively. The metals199″-1,3 can run through the cells and serve ad bitlines BL1,2,respectively. Another extended source/drains 197″-1,2,3,4 can be coupledto the portions of the fin 187″-1,2,3,4, respectively. The extendedsource/drains 197″-1 and 197″-3 are coupled as wordline N (WLN) and theextended source/drains 197″-2 and 197′-4 are coupled as wordline P(WLP). To program this MTJ 180″-1 into 0, a high and a low voltage canbe applied to the bitline BL1 and WLN, respectively, to turn on thediode 181″-1 and conduct a current flowing through the MTJ. To programthis MTJ 180″-1 into 1, a low and a high voltage can be applied to thebitline BL1 and WLP, respectively, to turn on the diode 181″-2 andconduct a current flowing through the MTJ. Thus, the MTJs can beprogrammed into high or low resistance state, depending on the currentdirections. The bitlines and WLN/WLP can run in the vertical andhorizontal directions, respectively, to construct a two-dimensional cellarray. In some embodiments, the WLN and WLP can be merged as one. FIG.13( b 2) shows an equivalent circuit corresponding to the cells shown inFIG. 13( b 1).

The programmable resistive cells in FIG. 13( a 1)-13(b 2) can be appliedto those resistive elements that can be programmed based on currentdirections. For example, the resistive elements in 13(a 1)-13(b 2) canbe MTJs that have at least one free layer stack, at least one fixedlayer stack, and a dielectric in between, The free or fixed layer stackscan include multiple layers of ferromagnetic or anti-ferromagnetic filmsand the dielectric can be metal oxide, such as Al₂O₃ or MgO. By applyinga proper current to the MTJ with the proper program selector turned on,the free layer stack can be aligned into magnetic parallel oranti-parallel to the fixed layer stack depending on the current flowinginto or out of the fixed layer stack as state 0 or state 1,respectively. Thus, the magnetic states can be programmed and theresultant states can be determined by resistance values, lowerresistance for parallel and higher resistance for anti-parallel states.The resistances in MRAM state 0 or 1 are about 5 KΩ or 10 KΩ,respectively, and the program currents are about +/−100-200 μA. Somekinds of RRAMs or CBRAMs can be programmed based on current directions,and therefore, they can be used as resistive elements in otherembodiments.

FIG. 14( a 1) shows a top view of 1×4 contact-fuse cells 210 using MOSdevices in FinFETs as program selectors and conductive contacts as OTPelements, respectively, in a FinFET technology according to oneembodiment. The cells 210 can, for example, be used as the programmableresistive cell 30 illustrated in FIG. 4. MOS devices are constructedfrom fins 211-1,2,3,4 with a gate 219 across to divide the fins intodrains 213-1,2,3,4 and sources 217-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, whichare further covered by N+ implant 214 to construct NMOS devices. Theregions 213-1,2,3,4 of the fins 211-1,2,3,4 can be built with extendedsource/drain regions 212-1,2,3,4 and coupled to bitlines 219-1,2,3,4through contacts 216-1,2,3,4 as OTP elements. The contact 216-1,2,3,4can be a single or plural of contacts for each OTP cell. The regions217-1,2,3,4 of the fins 211-1,2,3,4 can be built with an extendedsource/drain region 215 and coupled to a ground line (VSS). The gate 219can be coupled to a wordline (WL). To program this programmableresistive device, suitable voltages can be applied to the bitline,ground line, and wordline to turn on the MOS devices 211-1,2,3,4 and toconduct a current flowing through the contacts. Thus, the contacts canbe programmed into a high resistance state, depending on the magnitudeand duration of the current. The bitlines and wordlines/ground line canrun in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, toconstruct a two-dimensional cell array. FIG. 14( a 2) shows anequivalent circuit corresponding to the cells shown in FIG. 14( a 1).The concept of contact fuse can be applied other types of via fuses,such as via1, via2, or via3, etc. The other contacts/vias in theconductive path can be made larger or more than one to preventundesirable programming. Similarly, the other interconnects in theconductive path, such as metals, can be wider to prevent undesirableprogramming.

FIG. 14( b 1) shows a top view of 1×4 contact-fuse cells 210″ usingdiodes in FinFETs as program selectors and contacts as OTP elements,respectively, in a FinFET technology, according to one embodiment. Thecells 210″ can, for example, be used as the programmable resistive cell30 illustrated in FIG. 4. Diodes are constructed from fins 211″-1,2,3,4with a dummy gate 219″ across to divide the fins into 213″-1,2,3,4 and217″-1,2,3,4 regions, respectively, which are further covered by P+implant 218″ and N+ implant 214″, respectively, to construct the P and Nregions of the diodes. The regions 213″-1,2,3,4 of the fins 211″-1,2,3,4can be built with extended source/drain regions 212″-1,2,3,4 and coupledto metal bitlines 219″-1,2,3,4 through contacts 216″-1,2,3,4. Thecontacts 216″-1,2,3,4 can be a single or a plurality of contacts foreach OTP cell. The regions 217″-1,2,3,4 of the fins 211″-1,2,3,4 can bebuilt with an extended source/drain region 215″ and coupled to awordline bar (WLB). The dummy gate 219″ only serves for isolation duringfabrication and can be coupled to a fixed voltage supply. To programthis programmable resistive device, suitable voltages can be applied tothe bitline, and wordline bar to turn on the diodes 211″-1,2,3,4 and toconduct a current flowing through the contacts. Thus, the contacts canbe programmed into a high resistance state, depending on the magnitudeand duration of the current. The bitlines and wordline bars can run inthe vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, to construct atwo-dimensional cell array. FIG. 14( b 2) shows an equivalent circuitcorresponding to the cells shown in FIG. 14( b 1). The concept ofcontact fuse can be applied to other types of via fuses, such as via1,via2, or via3, etc. The other contacts/vias in the conductive path canbe made larger or more than one to prevent undesirable programming.Similarly, the other interconnects in the conductive path, such asmetals, can be wider to prevent undesirable programming.

The fin structures drawn above as program selectors are for illustrativepurposes only. A MOS or diode can be constructed from a single or aplurality of fins. The fins to build diodes can be N or P type doped.The substrate can be on N well or P well. The substrate can be bulk orSOI. A diode as program selector can be constructed from a single or aplurality of fins. A diode can be constructed from a fin structure byusing a dummy gate or silicide block layer across for isolation. Aplurality of diode can be constructed from a single fin by using aplurality of dummy gate or silicide block layers across the fin.Similarly, a diode can be constructed from a P+ fin over N well, or N+fin over P well in other embodiments. There are many variations andequivalent embodiments to construct diodes in fin structures and thatare all within the scope of embodiments of the invention.

The discussions above are for illustrative purposes. For example, theprogram selectors can be MOS or diodes that comprise a single or pluralof fin structures. The MOS can be NMOS or PMOS. The polarity of thediodes can be reversed. The contacts can be a single or a plural, andthe contact size can be larger than at least one contact outside of thememory array. The contact enclosure can be smaller than at least onecontact enclosure outside of the memory array. The metal scheme can bedifferent. The directions of the wordlines, bitlines, or sourcelines/ground line can be different. The row and column directions can beinterchangeable. The number of the cells in a row, column, or array canbe different. There are various and equivalent schemes and theircombinations in part or all can be considered as different embodimentsand that are within the scope of this invention for those skilled in theart.

Programming a phase-change memory (PCM), such as a phase-change film,depends on the physical properties of the phase-change film, such asglass transition and melting temperatures. To reset, the phase-changefilm needs to be heated up beyond the melting temperature and thenquenched. To set, the phase-change film needs to be heated up betweenmelting and glass transition temperatures and then annealed. A typicalPCM film has glass transition temperature of about 200° C. and meltingtemperature of about 600° C. These temperatures determine the operationtemperature of a PCM memory because the resistance state may changeafter staying in a particular temperature for a long time. However, mostapplications require retaining data for 10 years for the operationtemperature from 0 to 85° C. or even from −40 to 125° C. To maintaincell stability over the device's lifetime and over such a widetemperature range, periodic reading and then writing back data into thesame cells can be performed. The refresh period can be quite long, suchas longer than a second (e.g., minutes, hours, days, weeks, or evenmonths). The refresh mechanism can be generated inside the memory ortriggered from outside the memory. The long refresh period to maintaincell stability can also be applied to other emerging memories such asRRAM, CBRAM, and MRAM, etc.

The programmable resistive devices can be used to construct a memory inaccordance with one embodiment. FIG. 15 shows a portion of aprogrammable resistive memory 100 constructed by an array 101 of n-rowby (m+1)-column single-diode-as-program-selector cells 110 and nwordline drivers 150-i, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1, in accordance withone embodiment. The memory array 101 has m normal columns and onereference column for one shared sense amplifier 140 for differentialsensing. Each of the memory cells 110 has a resistive element 111coupled to the P terminal of a diode 112 as program selector and to abitline BLj 170-j (j=0, 1, . . . m−1) or reference bitline BLR0 175-0for those of the memory cells 110 in the same column. The N terminal ofthe diode 112 is coupled to a wordline WLBi 152-i through a localwordline LWLBi 154-i, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1, for those of the memorycells 110 in the same row. Each wordline WLBi is coupled to at least onelocal wordline LWLBi, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. The LWLBi 154-i isgenerally constructed by a high resistivity material, such as N well,polysilicon, polymetal, active region, extended source/drain, localinterconnect, or metal gate, to connect cells, and then coupled to theWLBi (e.g., a low-resistivity metal WLBi) through conductive contacts orvias, buffers, or post-decoders 172-i, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1.Buffers or post-decoders 172-i may be needed when using diodes asprogram selectors because there are currents flowing through the WLBi,especially when one WLBi drives multiple cells for program or readsimultaneously in other embodiments. The wordline WLBi is driven by thewordline driver 150-i (i=0, 1, 2, . . . , n−1) with a supply voltagevddi that can be switched between different voltages for program andread. Each BLj 170-j or BLR0 175-0 is coupled to a supply voltage VDDPthrough a Y-write pass gate 120-j or 125 for programming, where each BLj170-j or BLR0 175-0 is selected by YSWBj (j=0, 1, . . . , m−1) orYSWRB0, respectively. The Y-write pass gate 120-j (j=0, 1, . . . , m−1)or 125 can be built by PMOS, though NMOS, diode, or bipolar devices canbe employed in some embodiments. Each BLj or BLR0 is coupled to adataline DLj or DLR0 through a Y-read pass gate 130-j or 135 selected byYSRj (j=0, 1, . . . , m−1) or YSRR0, respectively. In this portion ofmemory array 101, m normal datalines DLj (j=0, 1, . . . , m−1) areconnected to an input 160 of a sense amplifier 140. The referencedataline DLR0 provides another input 161 for the sense amplifier 140 (nomultiplex is generally needed in the reference branch). The output ofthe sense amplifiers 140 is Q0. FIG. 15 can be readily applied to theprogrammable resistive cells that use MOS as program selector. The MOSprogram selectors in the cells can have the drains coupled to BLj, thegates coupled to LWLi and sources coupled to a ground line (VSS). TheWLBi and LWLBi can be replaced by WLi and LWLi with polarity reversed,respectively, where i=0, 1, 2, . . . , n−1. The wordline andpost-wordline drivers have the polarity reversed accordingly. The samecan be applied to the reference cells, wordlines, or bitline.

To program a cell, the specific WLBi and YSWBj are turned on and a highvoltage is supplied to VDDP, where i=0, 1, . . . n−1 and j=0, 1, . . . ,m−1. In some embodiments, the reference cells can be programmed to 0 or1 by turning on WLRBi, and YSWRB0, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. To read acell, a data column 160 can be selected by turning on the specific WLBiand YSRj, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1, and j=0, 1, . . . , m−1, and areference cell coupled to the reference dataline DLR0 161 can beselected for the sense amplifier 140 to sense and compare the resistancedifference between normal/reference BLs and ground, while disabling allYSWBj and YSWRB0 where j=0, 1, . . . , m−1.

The programmable resistive devices can be used to construct a memory inaccordance with one embodiment. FIG. 16( a) shows a portion of aprogrammable resistive memory 100 constructed by an array 101 of3-terminal MRAM cells 110 in n rows and m+1 columns with n pairs ofwordline drivers 150-i and 151-i, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1, accordingto one embodiment. The memory array 101 has m normal columns and onereference column for one shared sense amplifier 140 for differentialsensing. Each of the memory cells 110 has a resistive element 111coupled to the P terminal of a program-0 diode 112 and N terminal of aprogram-1 diode 113. The program-0 diode 112 and the program-1 diode 113serve as program selectors. Each resistive element 111 is also coupledto a bitline BLj 170-j (j=0, 1, . . . m−1) or reference bitline BLR0175-0 for those of the memory cells 110 in the same column. The Nterminal of the diode 112 is coupled to a wordline WLNi 152-i through alocal wordline LWLNi 154-i, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1, for those of thememory cells 110 in the same row. The P terminal of the diode 113 iscoupled to a wordline WLPi 153-i through a local wordline LWLPi 155-i,where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1, for those cells in the same row. Eachwordline WLNi or WLPi is coupled to at least one local wordline LWLNi orLWLPi, respectively, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. The LWLNi 154-i andLWLPi 155-i are generally constructed by a high resistivity material,such as N well, polysilicon, local interconnect, active region, extendedsource/drain, or metal gate to connect cells, and then coupled to theWLNi or WLPi (e.g., low-resistivity metal WLNi or WLPi) throughconductive contacts or vias, buffers, or post-decoders 172-i or 173-irespectively, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. Buffers or post-decoders 172-ior 173-i may be needed when using diodes as program selectors becausethere are currents flowing through WLNi or WLPi, especially when oneWLNi or WLPi drivers multiple cells for program or read simultaneouslyin some embodiments. The wordlines WLNi and WLPi are driven by wordlinedrivers 150-i and 151-i, respectively, with a supply voltage vddi thatcan be switched between different voltages for program and read. EachBLj 170-j or BLR0 175-0 is coupled to a supply voltage VDDP through aY-write-0 pass gate 120-j or 125 to program 0, where each BLj 170-j orBLR0 175-0 is selected by YS0WBj (j=0, 1, . . . , m−1) or YSOWRB0,respectively. Y-write-0 pass gate 120-j or 125 can be built by PMOS,though NMOS, diode, or bipolar devices can be employed in otherembodiments. Similarly, each BLj 170-j or BLR0 175-0 is coupled to asupply voltage 0V through a Y-write-1 pass gate 121-j or 126 to program1, where each BLj 170-j or BLR0 175-0 is selected by YS1Wj (j=0, 1, . .. , m−1) or YS1WR0, respectively. Y-write-1 pass gate 121-j or 126 canbe built by NMOS, though PMOS, diode, or bipolar devices can be employedin other embodiments. Each BLj or BLR0 is coupled to a dataline DLj orDLR0 through a Y-read pass gate 130-j or 135 selected by YSRj (j=0, 1, .. . , m−1) or YSRR0, respectively. In this portion of memory array 101,m normal datalines DLj (j=0, 1, . . . , m−1) are connected to an input160 of a sense amplifier 140. Reference dataline DLR0 provides anotherinput 161 for the sense amplifier 140, except that no multiplex isgenerally needed in a reference branch. The output of the senseamplifier 140 is Q0.

To program a 0 into a cell, the specific WLNi, WLPi, and BLj areselected by wordline drivers 150-i and 151-i, and Y-pass gate 120-j (byYS0WBj), respectively, where i=0, 1, . . . n−1 and j=0, 1, . . . , m−1,while the other wordlines and bitlines are properly set. A high voltageis applied to VDDP. In some embodiments, the reference cells can beprogrammed into 0 by setting proper voltages to WLRNi 158-i, WLRPi 159-iand YSOWRB0, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. To program a 1 to a cell, thespecific WLNi, WLPi and BLj are selected by wordline drivers 150-i,151-i, and Y-pass gate 121-j (by YS1Wj), respectively, where i=0, 1, . .. n−1 and j=0, 1, . . . , m−1, while the other wordlines and bitlinesare also properly set. In some embodiments, the reference cells can beprogrammed to 1 by setting proper voltages to WLRNi 158-i, WLRPi 159-iand YS1WR0, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. To read a cell, a data column 160can be selected by turning on the specific WLNi, WLPi and YSRj, wherei=0, 1, . . . , n−1, and j=0, 1, . . . , m−1, and a reference cellcoupled to the reference dataline DLR 161 for the sense amplifier 140 tosense and compare the resistance difference between normal/reference BLsand ground, while disabling all YS0WBj, YSOWRB0, YS1Wj and YS1WR0, wherej=0, 1, . . . , m−1.

Another embodiment of constructing an MRAM memory with 2-terminal MRAMcells is shown in FIG. 16( b), provided the voltage difference betweenhigh and low states VDDP, is no more than twice of the diode's thresholdvoltage Vd, i.e., VDDP<2*Vd. As shown in FIG. 16( b), two wordlines perrow WLNi 152-i and WLPi 153-i in FIG. 16( a) can be merged into onewordline driver WLNi 152-i, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. Also, the localwordlines LWLNi 154-i and LWLP 155-i per row in FIG. 16( a) can bemerged into one local wordline LWLNi 154-i, where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1,as shown in FIG. 16( b). Still further, two wordline drivers 150-i and151-i in FIG. 16( a) can be merged into one, i.e., wordline driver150-i. The BLs and WLNs of the unselected cells can be applied withsuitable supply voltages. Since half of wordlines, local wordlines, andwordline drivers can be eliminated in this embodiment, cell and macroareas can be reduced substantially.

FIGS. 16( a) and 16(b) can be readily applied to the MRAM cells that useMOS as program selectors. Two diodes as program selectors in the cellsin FIGS. 16( a) and 16(b) can be replaced by at least one fin structureof a single MOS device with the drain and source replacing the P and Nterminals of the program-0 diode, respectively. Program-1 diode can beomitted. Local wordlines WLPi (i=0, 1, 2, . . . , n−1) are coupled tothe gates of MOS devices in the same row. Using MOS as program selector,only one program selector is needed for bi-directional programming,though a plurality of fin structures may be needed because MOS may havelower driving capabilities than diodes.

Differential sensing is a common for programmable resistive memory,though single-end sensing can be used in other embodiments. FIGS. 17(a), 17(b), and 17(c) show three other embodiments of constructingreference cells for differential sensing. In FIG. 17( a), a portion ofmemory 400 has a normal array 180 of n×m cells, two reference columns150-0 and 150-1 of n×1 cells each storing all data 0 and 1 respectively,m+1 Y-read pass gates 130, and a sense amplifier 140. As an example, n=8and m=8 are used to illustrate the concept. There are n wordlines WLBiand n reference wordlines WLRBi for each column, where i=0, 1, . . . ,n−1. When a wordline WLBi is turned on to access a row, a correspondingreference wordline WLRBi (i=0, 1, . . . , n−1) is also turned on toactivate two reference cells 170-0 and 170-1 in the same row to providemid-level resistance after proper scaling in the sense amplifier. Theselected dataline 160 along with the reference dataline 161 are input toa sense amplifier 140 to generate an output Q0. In this embodiment, eachWLRBi and WLBi (i=0, 1, . . . , n−1) are hardwired together and everycells in the reference columns need to be pre-programmed before read.

FIG. 17( b) shows another embodiment of using a reference cell externalto a reference column. In FIG. 17( b), a portion of memory 400 has anormal array 180 of n×m cells, a reference column 150 of n×1 cells, m+1Y-read pass gates 130, and a sense amplifier 140. When a wordline WLBi(i=0, 1, . . . , n−1) is turned on, none of the cells in the referencecolumn 150 are turned on. An external reference cell 170 with apre-determined resistance is turned on instead by an external referencewordline WLRB. The selected dataline 160 and the reference dataline 161are input to a sense amplifier 140 to generate an output Q0. In thisembodiment, all internal reference wordlines WLRBi (i=0, 1, . . . , n−1)in each row can be disabled. The reference column 150 provides a loadingto match with that of the normal columns. In other embodiment, thereference column 150 can be omitted.

FIG. 17( c) shows another embodiment of constructing reference cells fordifferential sensing. In FIG. 17( c), a portion of memory 400 has anormal array 180 of n×m cells, one reference column 150 of n×1, tworeference rows 175-0 and 175-1 of 1×m cells, m+1 Y-read pass gates 130,and a sense amplifier 140. As an example, n=8 and m=8 are used toillustrate the approach. There are n wordlines WLBi and 2 referencewordlines WLRB0 175-0 and WLRB1 175-1 on top and bottom of the array,where i=0, 1, . . . , n−1. When a wordline WLBi (i=0, 1, . . . , n−1) isturned on to access a row, the reference wordline WLRB0 and WLRB1 arealso turned on to activate two reference cells 170-0 and 170-1 in theupper and lower right corners of the array 180, which store data 0 and 1respectively. The selected dataline 160 along with the referencedataline 161 are input to a sense amplifier 140 to generate an outputQ0. In this embodiment, all cells in the reference column 150 aredisabled except that the cells 170-0 and 170-1 on top and bottom of thereference column 150. Only two reference cells are used for the entiren×m array that needs to be pre-programmed before read.

For those programmable resistive devices that have a very smallresistance ratio between states 1 and 0, such as 2:1 ratio in MRAM,FIGS. 17( a) and 17(c) are desirable embodiments, depending on how manycells are suitable for one pair of reference cells. Otherwise, FIG. 17(b) is a desirable embodiment for electrical fuse or PCM that hasresistance ratio of more than about 10.

FIGS. 15, 16(a), 16(b), 17(a), 17(b), and 17(c) show only a fewembodiments of a portion of programmable resistive memory in asimplified manner. The memory array 101 in FIGS. 15, 16(a), and 16(b)can be replicated s times to read or program s-cells at the same time.In the case of differential sensing, the number of reference columns tonormal columns may vary and the physical location can also vary relativeto the normal data columns. Rows and columns are interchangeable. Thenumbers of rows, columns, or cells likewise may vary. For those skilledin the art understand that the above descriptions are for illustrativepurpose. Various embodiments of array structures, configurations, andcircuits are possible and are still within the scope of this invention.

The portions of programmable resistive memories shown in FIGS. 15,16(a), 16(b), 17(a), 17(b) and 17(c) can include different types ofresistive elements. The resistive element can be an electrical fuseincluding a fuse fabricated from an interconnect, contact/via fuse,contact/via anti-fuse, or gate oxide breakdown anti-fuse. Particularly,anti-fuse based on dielectric, junction, source/drain breakdown, orsource/drain punch-through can be embodied easily in FinFETtechnologies. The interconnect fuse can be formed from silicide,polysilicon, silicided polysilicon, metal, metal alloy, localinterconnect, thermally isolated active region, or some combinationthereof, or can be constructed from a CMOS gate. The resistive elementcan also be fabricated from the elements in PCRAM, RRAM, CBRAM, or MRAMcells, etc. For the electrical fuse fabricated from an interconnect,contact, or via fuse, programming requirement is to provide asufficiently high current, about 4-20 mA range, for a few microsecondsto blow the fuse by electro-migration, heat, ion diffusion, or somecombination thereof. For anti-fuse, programming requirement is toprovide a sufficiently high voltage to breakdown the dielectric,junction, gate oxide, or source/drain between two ends of a contact,via, diode, CMOS gate/body, or CMOS source/drain. The required voltageis about 6-7V for a few millisecond to consume about 100 uA of currentin today's technologies. Another type of anti-fuse can be applying a fewmilliamps of high current to punch-through the source/drain of a MOS.Programming Phase-Change Memory (PCM) requires different voltages anddurations for 0 and 1. Programming to a 1 (or to reset) requires a highand short voltage pulse applied to the phase-change film. Alternatively,programming to a 0 (or to set) requires a low and long voltage pulseapplied to the phase change film. The reset needs about 3V for 50 ns andconsumes about 300 uA, while set needs about 2V for 300 ns and consumesabout 100 uA. For MRAM, the high and low program voltages are about 2-3Vand 0V, respectively, and the current is about +/−100-200 uA.

Most programmable resistive devices have a higher voltage VDDP (−2-3V)for programming than the core logic supply voltage VDD (−1.0V) forreading. FIG. 18( a) shows a schematic of a wordline driver circuit 60according to one embodiment. The wordline driver includes devices 62 and61, as shown as the wordline driver 150 in FIGS. 15, 16(a) and 16(b).The supply voltage vddi is further coupled to either VDDP or VDD throughpower selectors 63 and 64 (e.g., PMOS power selectors) respectively. Theinput of the wordline driver Vin is from an output of an X-decoder. Insome embodiments, the power selectors 63 and 64 are implemented as thickoxide I/O devices to sustain high voltage. The bodies of power selector63 and 64 can be tied to vddi to prevent latchup.

Similarly, bitlines tend to have a higher voltage VDDP (−2-3V) forprogramming than the core logic supply voltage VDD (−1.0V) for reading.FIG. 18( b) shows a schematic of a bitline circuit 70 according to oneembodiment. The bitline circuit 70 includes a bitline (BL) coupled toVDDP and VDD through power selectors 73 and 74 (e.g., PMOS powerselectors), respectively. If the bitline needs to sink a current such asin an MRAM, an NMOS pulldown device 71 can be provided. In someembodiments, the power selectors 73 and 74 as well as the pulldowndevice 71 can be implemented as thick-oxide I/O devices to sustain highvoltage. The bodies of power selector 73 and 74 can be tied to vddi toprevent latchup.

Using junction diodes as program selectors may have high leakage currentif a memory size is very large. Power selectors for a memory can helpreducing leakage current by switching to a lower supply voltage or eventurning off when a portion of memory is not in use. FIG. 18( c) shows aportion of memory 85 with an internal power supply VDDP coupled to anexternal supply VDDPP and a core logic supply VDD through powerselectors 83 and 84. VDDP can even be coupled to ground by an NMOSpulldown device 81 to disable this portion of memory 85, if this portionof memory is temporarily not in use.

FIG. 19( a) shows one embodiment of a schematic of a pre-amplifier 100according to one embodiment. The pre-amplifier 100 needs specialconsiderations because the supply voltage VDD for core logic devices isabout 1.0V that does not have enough head room to turn on a diode tomake sense amplifiers functional, considering a diode's threshold isabout 0.7V. One embodiment is to use another supply VDDR, higher thanVDD, to power at least the first stage of sense amplifiers. Theprogrammable resistive cell 110 shown in FIG. 19( a) has a resistiveelement 111 and a diode 112 as program selector, and can be selected forread by asserting YSR′ to turn on a gate of a MOS 130 and wordline barWLB. The MOS 130 is Y-select pass gate to select a signal from one ofthe at least one bitline(s) (BL) coupled to cells to a dataline (DL) forsensing. The pre-amplifier 100 also has a reference cell 115 including areference resistive element 116 and a reference diode 117. The referencecell 115 can be selected for differential sensing by asserting YSRR′ toturn on a gate of a MOS 131 and reference wordline WLRB. The MOS 131 isa reference pass gate to pass a signal from a reference bitline (BLR) toa reference dataline (DLR) for sensing. YSRR′ is similar to YSR′ to turnon a reference cell rather than a selected cell, except that thereference branch typically has only one reference bitline (BLR). Theresistance Ref of the reference resistive element 116 can be set at aresistance approximately half-way between the minimum of state 1 andmaximum of state 0 resistance. MOS 151 is for pre-charging DL and DLR tothe same voltage before sensing by a pre-charge signal Vpc.Alternatively, the DL or DLR can be pre-charged to ground or to a diodevoltage above ground in other embodiments. The YSR′ and YSRR′ can sharethe same signal in other embodiment. The reference resistor 116 can be aplurality of resistors for selection to suit different cell resistanceranges in another embodiment.

The drains of MOS 130 and 131 are coupled to sources of NMOS 132 and134, respectively. The gates of 132 and 134 are biased at a fixedvoltage Vbias. The channel width to length ratios of NMOS 132 and 134can be relatively large to clamp the voltage swings of dataline DL andreference dataline DLR, respectively. The drains of NMOS 132 and 134 arecoupled to drains of PMOS 170 and 171, respectively. The drain of PMOS170 is coupled to the gate of PMOS 171 and the drain of PMOS 171 iscoupled to the gate of PMOS 170. The outputs V+ and V− of thepre-amplifier 100 are the drains of PMOS 170 and PMOS 171, respectively.The sources of PMOS 170 and PMOS 171 are coupled to a read supplyvoltage VDDR. The outputs V+ and V− are pulled up by a pair of PMOS 175to VDDR when the pre-amplifier 100 is disabled. VDDR is about 2-3V(which is higher than about 1.0V VDD of core logic devices) to turn onthe diode selectors 112 and 117 in the programmable resistive cell 110and the reference cell 115, respectively. The CMOS 130, 131, 132, 134,170, 171, and 175 can be embodied as thick-oxide I/O devices to sustainhigh voltage VDDR. The NMOS 132 and 134 can be native NMOS (i.e. thethreshold voltage is −0V) to allow operating at a lower VDDR. In anotherembodiment, the read selectors 130 and 131 can be PMOS devices. Inanother embodiment, the sources of PMOS 170 and 171 can be coupled tothe drain of a PMOS pullup (an activation device not shown in FIG. 19(a)), whose source is then coupled to VDDR. This sense amplifier can beactivated by setting the gate of the PMOS pullup low after turning onthe reference and Y-select pass gates.

FIG. 19( b) shows one embodiment of a schematic of an amplifier 200according to one embodiment. In another embodiment, the outputs V+ andV− of the pre-amplifier 100 in FIG. 19( a) can be coupled to gates ofNMOS 234 and 232, respectively, of the amplifier 200. The NMOS 234 and232 can be relatively thick oxide I/O devices to sustain the high inputvoltage V+ and V− from a pre-amplifier. The sources of NMOS 234 and 232are coupled to drains of NMOS 231 and 230, respectively. The sources ofNMOS 231 and 230 are coupled to a drain of an NMOS 211. The gate of NMOS211 is coupled to a clock φ to turn on the amplifier 200, while thesource of NMOS 211 is coupled to ground. The drains of NMOS 234 and 232are coupled to drains of PMOS 271 and 270, respectively. The sources ofPMOS 271 and 270 are coupled to a core logic supply VDD. The gates ofPMOS 271 and NMOS 231 are connected and coupled to the drain of PMOS270, as a node Vp. Similarly, the gates of PMOS 270 and NMOS 230 areconnected and coupled to the drain of PMOS 271, as a node Vn. The nodesVp and Vn are pulled up by a pair of PMOS 275 to VDD when the amplifier200 is disabled when φ goes low. The output nodes Vout+ and Vout− arecoupled to nodes Vn and Vp, respectively, through a pair of inverters asbuffers.

FIG. 19( c) shows a timing diagram of the pre-amplifier 100 and theamplifier 200 in FIGS. 19( a) and 19(b), respectively. The X- andY-addresses AX/AY are selected to read at least one cell. After somepropagation delays, at least one cell is selected for read by turningWLB low and YSR high to thereby select a row and at least one column,respectively. Before activating the pre-amplifier 100, a pulse Vpc canbe generated to precharge DL and DLR to ground, to a diode voltage aboveground, or to each other. The pre-amplifier 100 would be very slow ifthe DL and DLR voltages are high enough to turn off the cascode devices(e.g., NMOS 132 and 134). After the pre-amplifier outputs V+ and V− arestabilized, the clock φ is set high to turn on the amplifier 200 and toamplify the final output Vout+ and Vout− into full logic levels.

FIG. 20( a) shows another embodiment of a pre-amplifier 100′, similar tothe pre-amplifier 100 in FIG. 19( a), with PMOS pull-ups 171 and 170configured as current mirror loads. The reference branch can be turnedon by a level signal, Sense Amplifier Enable (SAEN), to enable thepre-amplifier, or by a cycle-by-cycle signal YSRR′ as in FIG. 19( a).MOS 151 is for pre-charging DL to ground or to DLR before sensing by apre-charge signal Vpc. Alternatively, the DL or DLR can be pre-chargedto a diode voltage above ground or each other in other embodiments. Theprecharge scheme can be omitted in other embodiment. In this embodiment,the number of the reference branches can be shared between differentpre-amplifiers at the expense of increasing power consumption. Thereference resistor 116 can be a plurality of resistors for selection tosuit different cell resistance ranges in another embodiment.

FIG. 20( b) shows level shifters 300 according to one embodiment. The V+and V− from the pre-amplifier 100, 100′ outputs in FIG. 19( a) or FIG.20( a) are coupled to gates of NMOS 301 and 302, respectively. Thedrains of NMOS 301 and 302 are coupled to a supply voltage VDDR. Thesources of NMOS 301 and 302 are coupled to drains of NMOS 303 and 304,respectively, which have gates and drains connected as diodes to shiftthe voltage level down by one Vtn, the threshold voltage of an NMOS. Thesources of NMOS 303 and 304 are coupled to the drains of pulldowndevices NMOS 305 and 306, respectively. The gates of NMOS 305 and 306can be turned on by a clock φ. The NMOS 301, 302, 303 and 304 can bethick-oxide I/O devices to sustain high voltage VDDR. Alternatively, theNMOS 301, 302, 303, and 304 can be embodied as core devices as long asthe voltage drop on each device is within the voltage limit. The NMOS303 and 304 can be cascaded more than once to shift V+ and V− further toproper voltage levels Vp and Vn. In another embodiment, the levelshifting devices 303 and 304 can be built using PMOS devices.

FIG. 20( c) shows another embodiment of an amplifier 200′ withcurrent-mirror loads having PMOS 270 and 271 as loads. The inputs Vp andVn of the amplifier 200′ are from the outputs Vp and Vn of the levelshifter 300 in FIG. 20( b) that can be coupled to gates of NMOS 231 and230, respectively. The drains of NMOS 231 and 230 are coupled to drainsof PMOS 271 and 270, respectively, which provide current-mirror loads.The drain and gate of PMOS 271 are connected and coupled to the gate ofPMOS 270. The sources of NMOS 231 and 230 are coupled to the drain of anNMOS 211, which has the gate coupled to a clock signal φ and the sourceto ground. The clock signal φ enables the amplifier 200′. The drain ofPMOS 270 provides an output Vout+. The PMOS pullup 275 keeps the outputVout+ at logic high level when the amplifier 200′ is disabled.

FIG. 20( d) shows one embodiment of a pre-amplifier 100′ based on allcore devices according to one embodiment. The programmable resistivecell 110′ has a resistive element 111′ and a diode 112′ as programselector that can be selected for read by asserting YSR′ to turn on agate of a MOS 130′ and wordline bar WLB. The MOS 130′ is Y-select passgate to select a signal from one of the at least one bitline(s) (BL)coupled to cells to a dataline (DL) for sensing. The pre-amplifier 100′also has a reference cell 115′ including a reference resistive element116′ and a reference diode 117′. The reference cell 115′ can be selectedfor differential sensing by asserting YSRR′ to turn on a gate of a MOS131′ and reference wordline WLRB. The MOS 131′ is a reference pass gateto pass a signal from a reference bitline (BLR) to a reference dataline(DLR) for sensing. YSRR′ is similar to YSR′ to turn on a reference cellrather than a selected cell, except that the reference branch typicallyhas only one reference bitline (BLR). The drains of MOS 130′ and 131′are coupled to drains of PMOS 170′ and 171′, respectively. The gate of170′ is coupled to the drain of 171′ and the gate of 171′ is coupled tothe drain of 170′. The sources of MOS 170′ and 171′ are coupled todrains of MOS 276′ and 275′, respectively. The gate of 275′ is coupledto the drain of 276′ and the gate of 276′ is coupled to the drain of275′. The drains of 170′ and 171′ are coupled by a MOS equalizer 151′with a gate controlled by an equalizer signal Veq1. The drains of 276′and 275′ are coupled by a MOS equalizer 251′ with a gate controlled byan equalizer signal Veq0. The equalizer signals Veq0 and Veq1 can be dcor ac signals to reduce the voltage swing in the drains of 170′, 171′and 275′, 276′, respectively. By reducing the voltage swings of the PMOSdevices in the pullup and by stacking more than one level ofcross-coupled PMOS, the voltage swings of the 170′, 171′, 275′, and 276′can be reduced to VDD range so that core logic devices can be used. Forexample, the supply voltage of the sense amplifier VDDR is about 2.5V,while the VDD for core logic devices is about 1.0V. The DL and DLR areabout 1 V, based on diode voltage of about 0.7V with a few hundredmillivolts drop for resistors and pass gates. If the cross-coupled PMOSare in two-level stacks, each PMOS only endures voltage stress of(2.5−1.0)/2=0.75V. Alternatively, merging MOS 275′ and 276′ into asingle MOS or using a junction diode in the pullup is anotherembodiment. Inserting low-Vt NMOS as cascode devices between 170′ and130′; 171′ and 131′ is another embodiment. The output nodes from thedrains of 170′ and 171′ are about 1.0-1.2V so that the sense amplifieras shown in FIG. 19( b) can be used with all core logic devices. Thereference resistor 116′ can be a plurality of resistors for selection tosuit different cell resistance ranges in another embodiment.

FIG. 20( e) shows another embodiment of a pre-amplifier 100″ with anactivation device 275″ according to one embodiment. A programmableresistive cell 110″ has a resistive element 111″ and a diode 112″ asprogram selector that can be selected for read by asserting YSR″ to turnon a gate of a MOS 130″ and wordline bar WLB. The MOS 130″ is Y-selectpass gate to select a signal from one of the at least one bitline(s)(BL) coupled to cells to a dataline (DL) for sensing. The pre-amplifier100″ also has a reference cell 115″ including a reference resistiveelement 116″ and a reference diode 117″. The reference cell 115″ can beselected for differential sensing by asserting YSRR″ to turn on a gateof a MOS 131″ and reference wordline WLRB. The MOS 131″ is a referencepass gate to pass a signal from a reference bitline (BLR) to a referencedataline (DLR) for sensing. YSRR″ is similar to YSR″ to turn on areference cell rather than a selected cell, except that the referencebranch typically has only one reference bitline (BLR). The drains of MOS130″ and 131″ are coupled to the sources of MOS 132″ and 134″,respectively. The drains of MOS 132″ and 134″ are coupled to the drainsof PMOS 170″ and 171″, respectively. The gate of 170″ is coupled to thedrain of 171″ and the gate of 171″ is coupled to the drain of 170″. Thesources of MOS 170″ and 171″ are coupled to the drain of MOS 275″ whosesource is coupled to a supply voltage and gate coupled to a SensingEnable Bar (SEB). The drains of 170″ and 171″ are coupled to a MOSequalizer 251″ with a gate controlled by an equalizer signal Veq0. Thesources of 132″ and 134″ are coupled by a MOS equalizer 151″ with a gatecontrolled by an equalizer signal Veq1. The equalizer signals Veq0 andVeq1 can be dc or ac signals to reduce the voltage swings in the sourcesof 170″, 171″ and 132″, 134″, respectively.

FIGS. 19( a), 20(a), 20(d) and 20(e) only show four of manypre-amplifier embodiments. Similarly, FIGS. 19( b), 20(c) and 20(b) onlyshow several of many amplifier and level shifter embodiments. Variouscombinations of pre-amplifiers, level shifters, and amplifiers in NMOSor PMOS, in core logic or I/O devices, with devices stacked or with anactivation device, operated under high voltage VDDR or core supply VDDcan be constructed differently, separately, or mixed. The equalizerdevices can be embodied as PMOS or NMOS, and can be activated by a dc orac signal. In some embodiments, the equalizers can be omitted.

FIGS. 21( a) and 21(b) show a flow chart depicting embodiments of aprogram method 700 and a read method 800, respectively, for aprogrammable resistive memory in accordance with certain embodiments.The methods 700 and 800 are described in the context of a programmableresistive memory, such as the programmable resistive memory 100 in FIGS.15, 16(a) and 16(b). In addition, although described as a flow of steps,one of ordinary skilled in the art will recognize that at least some ofthe steps may be performed in a different order, includingsimultaneously, or skipped.

FIG. 21( a) depicts a method 700 of programming a programmable resistivememory in a flow chart according to one embodiment. In the first step710, proper power selectors can be selected so that high voltages can beapplied to the power supplies of wordline drivers and bitlines. In thesecond step 720, the data to be programmed in a control logic (not shownin FIGS. 15, 16(a), and 16(b)) can be analyzed, depending on what typesof programmable resistive devices. For electrical fuse, this is aOne-Time-Programmable (OTP) device such that programming always meansblowing fuses into a non-virgin state and is irreversible. Programvoltage and duration tend to be determined by external control signals,rather than generated internally from the memory. For PCM, programminginto a 1 (to reset) and programming into a 0 (to set) require differentvoltages and durations such that a control logic determines the inputdata and select proper power selectors and assert control signals withproper timings. For MRAM, the directions of current flowing through MTJsare more important than time duration. A control logic determines properpower selectors for wordlines and bitlines and assert control signals toensure a current flowing in the desired direction for desired time. Inthe third step 730, a cell in a row can be selected and thecorresponding local wordline can be turned on. In the fourth step 740,sense amplifiers can be disabled to save power and prevent interferencewith the program operations. In the fifth step 750, at least one cell ina column can be selected and the corresponding Y-write pass gate can beturned on to couple the selected bitline to a supply voltage. In thelast step 760, a desired current can be driven for a desired time in anestablished conduction path to complete the program operations. For mostprogrammable resistive memories, this conduction path is from a highvoltage supply through a bitline select, resistive element, diode asprogram selector, and an NMOS pulldown of a local wordline driver toground. Particularly, for programming a 1 to an MRAM, the conductionpath is from a high voltage supply through a PMOS pullup of a localwordline driver, diode as program selector, resistive element, andbitline select to ground.

FIG. 21( b) depicts a method 800 of reading a programmable resistivememory in a flow chart according to one embodiment. In the first step810, proper power selectors can be selected to provide supply voltagesfor local wordline drivers, sense amplifiers, and other circuits. In thesecond step 820, all Y-write pass gates, i.e. bitline program selectors,can be disabled. In the third step 830, desired local wordline(s) can beselected so that the diode(s) as program selector(s) have a conductionpath to ground. In the fourth step 840, sense amplifiers can be enabledand prepared for sensing incoming signals. In the fifth step 850, thedataline and the reference dataline can be pre-charged to the V− voltageof the programmable resistive device cell or to each other. In the sixthstep 860, the desired Y-read pass gate can be selected so that thedesired bitline is coupled to an input of the sense amplifier. Aconduction path is thus established from the bitline to the resistiveelement in the desired cell, diode(s) as program selector(s), and thepulldown of the local wordline driver(s) to ground. The same applies forthe reference branch. In the last step 870, the sense amplifiers cancompare the read current with the reference current to determine a logicoutput of 0 or 1 to complete the read operations.

FIG. 22 shows a processor system 700 according to one embodiment. Theprocessor system 700 can include a programmable resistive device 744,such as in a cell array 742, in memory 740, according to one embodiment.The processor system 700 can, for example, pertain to a computer system.The computer system can include a Central Process Unit (CPU) 710, whichcommunicate through a common bus 715 to various memory and peripheraldevices such as I/O 720, hard disk drive 730, CDROM 750, memory 740, andother memory 760. Other memory 760 is a conventional memory such asSRAM, DRAM, or flash, typically interfaces to CPU 710 through a memorycontroller. CPU 710 generally is a microprocessor, a digital signalprocessor, or other programmable digital logic devices. Memory 740 ispreferably constructed as an integrated circuit, which includes thememory array 742 having at least one programmable resistive device 744.The memory 740 typically interfaces to CPU 710 through a memorycontroller. If desired, the memory 740 may be combined with theprocessor, for example CPU 710, in a single integrated circuit.

The invention can be implemented in a part or all of an integratedcircuit in a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), or in a system. Theprogrammable resistive device can be fuse, anti-fuse, or emergingnonvolatile memory. The fuse can be silicided or non-silicidedpolysilicon fuse, thermally isolated active-region fuse, localinterconnect fuse, metal fuse, contact fuse, or via fuse. The anti-fusecan be based on gate-oxide breakdown, contact or via breakdown withdielectrics in-between, junction or source/drain breakdown, orsource/drain punch-through. The emerging nonvolatile memory can beMagnetic RAM (MRAM), Phase Change Memory (PCM), Conductive Bridge RAM(CBRAM), or Resistive RAM (RRAM). Though the program mechanisms aredifferent, their logic states can be distinguished by differentresistance values.

Additional information on programmable resistive memory structures andtheir formation and usage can be found in: (1) U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/026,650, filed on Feb. 14, 2011 and entitled “CIRCUIT ANDSYSTEM FOR USING A POLYSILICON DIODE AS PROGRAM SELECTOR FOR RESISTIVEDEVICES IN CMOS LOGIC PROCESSES,” which is hereby incorporated herein byreference; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/026,725, filed onFeb. 14, 2011 and entitled “CIRCUIT AND SYSTEM FOR USING A JUNCTIONDIODE AS PROGRAM SELECTOR FOR RESISTIVE DEVICES,” which is herebyincorporated herein by reference; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/026,725, filed on Feb. 14, 2011 and entitled “CIRCUIT AND SYSTEM OFUSING JUNCTION DIODE AS PROGRAM SELECTOR FOR RESISTIVE DEVICES IN CMOSLOGIC PROCESSES,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference; (4)U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/026,650, filed on Feb. 14, 2011 andentitled “CIRCUIT AND SYSTEM OF USING POLYSILICON DIODE AS PROGRAMSELECTOR FOR RESISTIVE DEVICES IN CMOS LOGIC PROCESSES,” which is herebyincorporated herein by reference; and (5) U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/471,704, filed on May 15, 2012 and entitled “CIRCUIT AND SYSTEMFOR USING A JUNCTION DIODE AS PROGRAM SELECTOR FOR ONE-TIME PROGRAMMABLEDEVICES,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The above description and drawings are only to be consideredillustrative of exemplary embodiments, which achieve the features andadvantages of the present invention. Modifications and substitutions ofspecific process conditions and structures can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The many features and advantages of the present invention are apparentfrom the written description and, thus, it is intended by the appendedclaims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention.Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur tothose skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact construction and operation as illustrated and described.Hence, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to asfalling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A programmable resistive memory, comprising: aplurality of programmable resistive cells, at least one of theprogrammable resistive cells comprising: a resistive element; at leastone fin structure coupled to the resistive element, the at least one finstructure being a semiconductor structure and including at least a firstactive region and a second active region, the first active region havinga first type of dopant, and the second active region having the firsttype of dopant or the second type of dopant; and a gate provided over atleast a portion of the at least one fin structure, the gate beingprovided between the first and second active regions, wherein at least aportion of the first and second active regions residing in a common wellor on an isolated substrate.
 2. A programmable resistive memory asrecited in claim 1, wherein an insulator material is provided betweenthe gate and the at least a portion of the at least one fin structure.3. A programmable resistive memory as recited in claim 1, wherein theresistive element is coupled to a first supply voltage line, and whereinthe first active region is coupled to the resistive element, the secondactive region is coupled to a second supply voltage line, and the gateis coupled to a third supply voltage line.
 4. A programmable resistivememory as recited in claim 3, wherein the resistive element isconfigured to be programmable by applying voltages to the first, second,and/or third supply voltage lines to thereby change the resistance ofthe resistive element into a different logic state.
 5. A programmableresistive memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the fin structure atleast in part forms a MOS device or dummy-gate diode.
 6. A programmableresistive memory as recited in claim 5, wherein the first active regionprovides a first terminal of the MOS or the dummy-gate diode, and thesecond active region provides a second terminal of the MOS or thedummy-gate diode.
 7. A programmable resistive memory as recited in claim1, wherein the gate or dummy gate is fabricated from a MOS gate
 8. Aprogrammable resistive memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the atleast one of the first or the second active region is fabricated fromsources or drains of CMOS devices, and wherein at least a portion of thefirst and second active regions reside in a CMOS well and/or in anisolated substrate.
 9. A programmable resistive memory as recited inclaim 1, wherein the at least one of the first or the second activeregion has no more than two (2) contacts.
 10. A programmable resistivememory as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one contact in the atleast one active region is larger than the at least one contact outsideof the programmable resistive memory cells.
 11. A programmable resistivememory as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one contact in the atleast one active region is substantially the same or wider than theactive region or the resistive element.
 12. A programmable resistivememory as recited in claim 1, wherein the resistive element has aplurality of terminals, and wherein at least one of the terminals of theresistive element has no more than two (2) contacts.
 13. A programmableresistive memory as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least onecontact in at least one of the terminals of the resistive element islarger than the at least one contact outside of the programmableresistive memory cells.
 14. A programmable resistive memory as recitedin claim 1, wherein the resistive element has a plurality of terminals,and wherein at least one of the terminals of the resistive element hasno more than one (1) contact.
 15. A programmable resistive memory asrecited in claim 1, wherein the resistive element has a plurality ofterminals, and wherein the resistive element has a length to width ratioof 0.5 to 8 between two closest contacts in the terminals of theresistive element.
 16. A programmable resistive memory as recited inclaim 1, wherein the first and the second active regions are built on atleast one extended source/drain region of the Fin FETs.
 17. Aprogrammable resistive memory as recited in claim 16, wherein the finstructure at least in part forms a diode, and wherein the diode asprogram selector is constructed from at least one extended source/drainregion.
 18. A programmable resistive memory as recited in claim 17,wherein the resistive element has at least one extended source/drainregion and built into the same structure of MOS or the diode as programselector.
 19. A programmable resistive memory as recited in claim 1,wherein the resistive element comprises at least one of polysilicon,silicided polysilicon, silicide, polymetal, metal, metal alloy, localinterconnect, thermally isolated active region, extended source/drainregion, CMOS gate, or combination thereof.
 20. A programmable resistivememory as recited in claim 1, wherein the resistive element is part ofthe fin and built into the same fin structure of MOS or dummy-gate diodeas program selector.
 21. A programmable resistive memory as recited inclaim 1, wherein the resistive element comprise a CMOS gate, and whereinat least a portion of the CMOS gate is a metal gate.
 22. A programmableresistive memory as recited in claim 21, wherein the CMOS gate has aportion of NMOS metal gate and a portion of PMOS metal gate.
 23. Aprogrammable resistive memory as recited in claim 1, wherein theresistive element comprises at least one conductive contact or via. 24.A programmable resistive memory as recited in claim 1, wherein theresistive element comprises an anti-fuse based on junction breakdown,source/drain breakdown, or source/drain punch-through of at least oneFinFET or the extended source/drain region.
 25. A programmable resistivememory as recited in claim 1, wherein the programmable resistive memoryis provided in an integrated circuit package having I/O voltages, andwherein the program voltage of the programmable resistive memory cell issubstantially close to the I/O voltages.
 26. An electronics system,comprising: a processor; and a programmable resistive memory operativelyconnected to the processor, the programmable resistive memory includesat least a plurality of programmable resistive cells for providing datastorage, each of the programmable resistive cells comprising: aresistive element coupled to a first supply voltage line; at least oneMOS device or diode built on at least one fin structure with at leastone active region, the at least one active region including at least afirst active region and a second active region, the first active regionhaving a first type of dopant and the second region having the firsttype of dopant or a second type of dopant, the first active regionproviding a first terminal of the MOS device or a dummy-gate diode, thesecond active region providing a second terminal of the MOS device orthe dummy-gate diode, at least one portion of the first or second activeregion residing in a common well or on an isolated substrate, the firstactive region being coupled to the resistive element and the secondactive region coupled to a second supply voltage line; and a MOS gate ora dummy gate being coupled to a third supply voltage line; wherein theat least one of the first or the second active region is fabricated fromsources or drains of CMOS devices, and wherein the programmableresistive element is configured to be programmable by applying voltagesto the first, second, and/or third supply voltage lines to therebychange the resistance into a different logic state.
 27. A programmableresistive memory, comprising: a plurality of programmable resistivecells, at least one of the programmable resistive cells comprising: aresistive element coupled to a first supply voltage line; at least onefin structure of semiconductor material residing in a CMOS well or on aisolated substrate and being coupled to the resistive element, andincluding at least a first active region and a second active region, thefirst active region having a first type of dopant, and the second activeregion having the first type of dopant or the second type of dopant; anda gate provided over at least a portion of the at least one finstructure, the gate dividing the fin structure into the first and secondactive regions.